Luis Baez de Torres 1605-06

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Anatol
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Luis Baez de Torres 1605-06

Post by Anatol » Thu Apr 09, 2015 8:28 pm

Luís Vaz de Torres (Portuguese), (born c. 1565; fl. 1607) was a 16th- and 17th-century maritime explorer serving the Spanish/Portuguese Crown (between 1580-1640 both countries shared the same Kings), noted for the first recorded navigation of the strait which separates the continent of Australia from the island of New Guinea, and which now bears his name (Torres Strait). Captain Luis Váez de Torres was recorded as a "Breton" in reports of the 1606–1608 voyage, which points to an origin in the northwest province of Spain, i. e., Galicia. Most contemporary historians accept this as evidence of his origins. The birth year of around 1565 is considered likely,exact place of his birth are unknown. Torres, at some point, entered the Navy of the Spanish Crown and found his way to its South American possessions. By late 1605 he first entered the historical record as the nominated commander of the second ship in an expedition to the Pacific proposed by the Portuguese born navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, searching for Terra Australis. Pedro Fernandes de Queirós was a Portuguese-born navigator who commanded a party of three Spanish ships, San Pedro y San Pablo (60 tons), San Pedrico (40 tons) and the tender Los Tres Reyes Magos. The three ships left Callao in Spanish Peru, on 21 December 1605, with Torres in command of the San Pedrico. In May 1606 they reached the islands which Queirós named La Austrialia(sic) del Espiritu Santo (nowVanuatu), Austrialia being a compliment to the House of Austria, to which the King of Spain belonged. After six weeks Queirós’ ships put to sea again to explore the coastline. On the night of 11 June 1606 Queirós in the San Pedro y San Pablobecame separated from the other ships in bad weather and was unable (or so he later said) to return to safe anchorage at Espiritu Santo. He then sailed to Acapulco in Mexico, where he arrived in November 1606. In the account by Prado, which is highly critical of Queirós, mutiny and poor leadership are given as the reason for Queirós’ disappearance. Torres remained silent on the subject other than to write than that his “condition was different to that of Captain Queirós.” Torres remained at Espiritu Santo for 15 days before opening sealed orders he had been given by the Viceroy of Peru. These contained instructions on what course to follow if the ships became separated and who would be in command in the event of the loss of Queirós. The orders appear to have listed Prado as successor to Queirós, as he was capitan-entretenido (spare captain) on the voyage. However, there is overwhelming evidence Torres remained in command, including Prado’s own account. On 26 June 1606 the San Pedrico and Los Tres Reyes Magos under Torres command set sail for Manila. Contrary winds prevented the ships taking the more direct route along the north coast of New Guinea. Prado’s account notes that they sighted land on 14 July 1606, which was probably the island of Tagula in the Louisiade Archipelago, south east of New Guinea. The voyage continued over the next two months along the southeastern coast, and a number of landfalls were made to replenish the ships’ food and water. The expedition discovered Milne Bay including Basilaki Island which they named Tierra de San Buenaventura, taking possession of the land for Spain in July 1606. This brought the Spanish in close and sometimes violent contact with local indigenous people. Prado and Torres both record the capture of twenty people, including a woman who gave birth several weeks later. From these islands, Torres sailed along the southern coast of New Guinea reaching Orangerie Bay, which he named San Lorenzo because he landed on 10 August, the feast of Saint Lawrence. The expedition then sailed to the Gulf of Papua, exploring and charting the coastline. Prado drew a number of sketch charts of anchorages in the Gulf of Papua, several of which survive. Torres then took a route close to the New Guinea coast to navigate the 150 kilometre strait that now bears his name. In 1980 the Queensland master mariner Captain Brett Hilder proposed that it was more likely that Torres took a southerly route through the nearby channel now called Endeavour Strait, on 2–3 October 1606. From this position, he would certainly have seen Cape York, the northernmost extremity of Australia. According to 19th-century Australian writer George Collingridge, Torres "had discovered Australia without being aware of the fact". Whether or not he did so, Torres never claimed that he had sighted the southern continent. "Here there are very large islands, and more to the south" he wrote. At the beginning of January 1607 he reached Ternate, part of the Spice Islands. He sailed on 1 May for Manila arriving on 22 May. The expedition proved that New Guinea was not part of the sought after continent. The official account was written by Diego de Prado and signed by Torres and other officials in Manila the 6 June 1608. Torres, his crew and his captives disappear entirely from the historical record at this point, and their subsequent fate is unknown. Most documents of Torres's discoveries were not published, but on reaching Spain, filed away in Spanish archives. The original official manuscript account reappeared in the collections of Sir Thomas Phillips during the 19th century. It went on public display for the first time in August 1997.
Norfolk 1994;70c;SG571. Vanuatu 2006;350;SG? Papua New Guinea 1988;35t; SG550.1999;40t;SG Ms861. Pitcairn Islands 1967;1d;SG66.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu%C3%ADs_Vaz_de_Torres
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