Museo Nao Victoria

Maritime Museum in Punta Arenas, Chile

Museo Nao Victoria (Chile)
Nao Victoria Replica in the museum
Established	2011
Location	Punta Arenas, Chile
Type	Maritime Museum
Website	https://www.registromuseoschile.cl/663/w3-article-83699.html

The Nao Victoria Museum is located in Punta Arenas, Chile, and has been open to the public since 1 October 2011. The museum is private, the owner has received the Medal of the President of Chile for his work in promoting national identity during the celebrations for the bicentenary of the independence of the South American country.^[1] Spanish Vice Consul in Punta Arenas gave the entrepreneur the prize "Hispanic Identity" for the building of the Nao Victoria Replica.^[2]

Aim of the Museo Nao Victoria

The museum's goal is to be interactive and offer its visitors the experience of interacting with replicas of the ships that contributed to the discovery of the area, colonization of the territory, or have a special and historic heritage significance for the Magallanes Region of Chile. The replicas were built using traditional shipbuilding techniques.

Collections

The main collection of the museum is the full-size replicas of historic ships on display along the Straits of Magellan. Replicas of weapons and ancient navigation tools are also exhibited as well as copies of documents and books relating to the historic ships and an outdoor shipbuilding workshop.

Replicas

Today the museum has three ship replicas:

Nao Victoria

Nao Victoria, was a carrack, 27 metres (89 ft) long, 7 metres (23 ft) wide, that was part of the fleet commanded by Ferdinand Magellan that discovered the waterway around southern tip of the South American continent. Later, commanded by Juan Sebastian Elcano, she was the only ship of the five to complete the first-time circumnavigation of the globe. Commanded by Duarte Barbosa, Nao Victoria participated in the Discovery of Chile, being the first to explore the region in 1520, and discovering or naming Patagonia, Cape Virgenes, the Straits of Magellan, Tierra del Fuego, the Pacific Ocean and other milestones.

She is one of the most famous ships in history of navigation.

Nao Victoria

Replica of Nao Victoria.
Replica of Nao Victoria, tourists on board.
Aft decks of replica of Nao Victoria.
Replica of Nao Victoria, Pablo, the first native American to be baptised in Chile.
Replica of Nao Victoria, Magellan in its cabin.
Replica of Nao Victoria, cook at the stove.

James Caird

James Caird, was a lifeboat of the Endurance, adapted by Harry McNish, and sailed from Elephant Island to South Georgia during Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1916 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Many historians^[who?] consider the feat of the crew of James Caird to be the most impressive of all global navigation.

James Caird

The replica of James Caird afloat in the river next to the museum.
The replica of James Caird to the Strait of Magellan, with in the background the Tierra del Fuego.
The replica of James Caird in the workshop before being released in the museum.
The original James Caird displayed at Dulwich College, London.
The replica of James Caird at the Museo Nao Victoria in winter with snow.

Schooner Ancud

Ancud was the ship that, under an 1843 mandate of the President of Chile, Manuel Bulnes, claimed the Strait of Magellan on behalf of Chile's newly independent government, building Fort Bulnes. Commander of the schooner was Captain John Williams Wilson. On 31 December 2011, the museum announced the construction of a replica of the schooner in its shipbuilding workshop;^[3] the replica Ancud was opened to public on 5 September 2012.

Ancud

The replica of Ancud, bow, keel and stern, with in the background the Nao Victoria.
The replica of Ancud, complete hull structure.
Ancud replica.
Stern view of Ancud replica.

HMS Beagle

HMS Beagle, a British Navy brig-sloop, was converted into an exploration vessel. The most famous of her three trips was the second one under the command of Captain FitzRoy. On board was the young Charles Darwin. HMS Beagle remained in the Magellan región for almost three years, and the observations made by Darwin were influential in the development of his theory of evolution. The construction of the full-size HMS Beagle replica started in November 2012.^[4] Four years later, in November 2016, the museum announced that the vessel was completed.^[5]

HMS Beagle

First cut for HMS Beagle's keel.
Keel, stem and stern of the 1:1 replica of HMS Beagle ready for installation in Nao Victoria Museum of Punta Arenas
Nao Victoria looming over HMS Beagle's replica construction site
Starboard side view of HMS Beagle's replica
State of the art of HMS Beagle's replica building process as of 20 March 2013
Completed hull of the 1:1 replica of HMS Beagle being painted in Nao Victoria Museum in Punta Arenas
The replica in February 2016
Update on the construction of the replica in February 2017
Replica of HMS Beagle 2018

Other collections

Antique weapons – The replicas of historic ships are equipped with replicas of ancient firearms such as bombards, cannons, and muskets as well as handweapons like halberds, crossbows, and swords. All these weapons can be used by visitors.
Ancient sailing instruments – In the different areas of the boats there are replicas of Astrolabes, Nocturnals, Quadrants, Jacob's staffs, Chip logs, and Hourglasss.
Copies of original documents – The capitulation and instructions given by Emperor Charles V to Magellan and Ruy Faleiro, the accounts of the Atarazanas Reales de Sevilla on the expenditures and revenues of the expedition, the log of Francisco Albo, copy of Ginés de Mafra book, the de Moluccis Insular of Maximilianus Transylvanus, drawings from the book of Antonio Pigafetta, the map of Juan de la Cosa, the book Primaleon of Francisco Vasquez of Palmerin.

Shipbuilding workshop

During summer 2013 the shipbuilding workshop of the museum built a one third size scale replica of an 18th-century galleon.^[6]

The 1:3 replica of a galleon of the eighteenth century

Figurehead of 1:3 scale replica of a Galleon built in Santiago by the Nao Victoria Museum Punta Arenas
Transom of 1:3 scale replica of a Galleon built in Santiago by the Nao Victoria Museum of Punta Arenas
Starboard view of a 1:3 scale replica of a Galleon built in Santiago by the Nao Victoria Museum of Punta Arenas

References

^ "Presidente Sebastian Pinera expreso compromiso..." Radio Natales (in Spanish). 16 August 2010. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
^ "Día de la Hispanidad" (pdf). La Prensa Austral (in Spanish). 18 October 2011. Retrieved 2012-10-13.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Construirán réplicas navegables de la goleta Ancud y del bergantín Beagle". La Prensa Austral (in Spanish). 31 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
^ "Construyen Replica del HMS Beagle". radiopolar.com (in Spanish). 15 November 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
^ "Réplica de la embarcación HMS Beagle fue terminada tras cuatro años de construcción". La Prensa Austral (in Spanish). 27 November 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
^ "The 1:3 replica of a galleon of the eighteenth century". April 28, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-29.