.jpg) Illustration ofSan Telmo by Alejo Berlinguero at theNaval Museum of Madrid | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Spain | |
| Name | San Telmo |
| Namesake | Peter González orErasmus of Formia |
| Operator | Spanish Navy |
| Launched | 20 June 1788 |
| Fate | Sunk, 2 September 1819 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 2,550 tons |
| Length | 53 m (174 ft) |
| Beam | 14.5 m (48 ft) |
| Complement | 644 |
San Telmo was a 74-gunship of the line of theSpanish Navy launched in 1788. It sank in 1819, while bringing reinforcements toPeru during thewar of independence. Based on the location where it was lost, it has been speculated that survivors may have reachedAntarctica.
In 1819, theSan Telmo, commanded by Captain Joaquín de Toledo y Parra, was the flagship of a Spanish naval squadron under BrigadierRosendo Porlier y Asteguieta bound forCallao, Peru, to reinforce colonial forces there fighting the independence movements inSpanish America. It was damaged by severe weather in theDrake Passage, south ofCape Horn on 2 September 1819, and sank with all 644 people on board.
Some remnants and signs of the wreckage were later found byWilliam Smith onLivingston Island in theSouth Shetland Islands, located on the Antarcticcontinental shelf. If any crew members survived the initial sinking and managed to land there, they would have been the first people to reach the continent.[1][2][3][4][5][6]San Telmo Island, off the north coast of Livingston Island, is named after the ship.
Prior to the battle that led to thecapture of Valdivia in February 1820, the patriot force told the Spanish garrison of theValdivian Fort System they were part of the convoy ofSan Telmo. Using this tactic they were able to approach the beach atAguada del Inglés largely undisturbed before their amphibious assault begun.[7]
In 1985 a skull belonging to an indigenous woman was found onYamana Beach, and may be related to theSan Telmo.[8]
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