H90.44.1

• spanish

The ship model was constructed at Spain's Museo Naval for Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Buttner. The original Atrevida, a corvette, served as flagship for Alejandro Malaspina on his scientific and exploratory voyage to the north Pacific coast of the new world in the late 1780s and early 1790s. From the History Information Station Object: Model of the ship Atrevida. The model was constructed in 1960 by a model maker at the Museo Naval, Madrid, Spain, from the original specifications. The Atrevida was a corbeta, or corvette, a class of warship built for strength and speed, and used for scouting, convoy, and privateer service. She measured 120 feet long, displaced 306 tons and drew approximately 14 feet of water when loaded. She carried crew and technical support personnel totaling 86 men. History: The Atrevida sailed from Spain in 1789 as part of a global scientific expedition led by Alejandro Malaspina. She and her sister ship, the Descubierta, were specially built and outfitted for the expedition. The Atrevida's captain was Jose Bustamante y Guerra, second in command of the expedition. Gift of Edgar Buttner Exploring with Daring and Discovery In 1788 Alejandro Malaspina, a captain in the Spanish Navy, proposed a "Scientific and Political Voyage Around the World." Its objective was to keep Spain in the forefront of the world in the field of science and in the exploration of the farthest corners of the globe. Setting sail from Cadiz, Spain in 1789, the expedition headed west to South America and then around Cape Horn to the Pacific Coast, arriving in Acapulco, Mexico in 1791. From there the ships sailed north as far as Alaska in search of the legendary passage through North America. Disappointed, they turned south stopping at Monterey, California. The expedition also visited Guam, the Philippines, and the Hawaiian Islands before returning to Spain in 1794. The men chosen to join the expedition were not only sailors and experts in navigation, but also astronomers, cartographers, and hydrographers. Everywhere the expedition stopped scientific work was undertaken. Native peoples were described, flora and fauna were collected, maps were drawn, and artists recorded all they saw.