La Princesa ( 1778 ) La Princesa ( also called Princesa , also known as Nuestra Señora del Rosario ) was a Spanish frigate or corvette built at the Spanish Navy base at San Blas and launched in 1778 . She is sometimes called a frigate and sometimes a corvette . At the time a corvette was similar to a frigate in that both were three - masted , ship - rigged warships , but corvettes were slightly smaller and had a single deck instead of two . The exact specifications of " La Princesa " are not known . " La Princesa " was designed with storage enough to sail for a year without having to restock . She was built for durability rather than speed . Like " La Favorita " , a similar corvette stationed at San Blas , " La Princesa " was heavily used , serving for over three decades , playing an important role in the exploration of the Pacific Northwest as well as the routine work of provisioning the missions of Alta California . During her 1779 voyage the " Princesa " carried six four - pounder cannons and four three - pounders , and had a crew complement of 98 . The " Princesa " carried 26 cannons in 1789 when Esteban José Martínez took control of Nootka Sound . 1779 voyage to Alaska . In 1779 the " Princesa " took part in a voyage from San Blas , Mexico , to Alaska . The expedition was under the command of Ignacio de Arteaga on the " Favorita " . Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra was given command of the " Princesa " . With Bodega y Quadra on the " Princesa " was second officer Francisco Antonio Mourelle , surgeon Mariano Nunez Esquivel , pilot Jose Canizares , and second pilot Juan Bautista Aguirre . The expedition ' s objective was to evaluate the Russian penetration of Alaska , search for a Northwest Passage , and capture James Cook if they found him in Spanish waters . Spain had learned about Cook ' s 1778 explorations along the coast of the Pacific Northwest . In June 1779 , during the expedition of Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra , Spain entered the American Revolutionary War as an ally of France , precipitating a parallel Anglo - Spanish War , which continued until the 1783 Treaty of Paris . Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra did not find Cook , who had been killed in Hawaii in February 1779 . During the voyage Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra carefully surveyed Bucareli Bay then headed north to Port Etches on Hinchinbrook Island , near the entrance to Prince William Sound . There Arteaga took a party ashore to performed a formal ceremony of possession . This was the northernmost point at which Spain performed such a formal ceremony and became the foundation of Spain ' s claims of sovereignty north to the latitude of 61° north . Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra also explored Cook Inlet , and the Kenai Peninsula , where a possession ceremony was performed on August 2 , 1779 , in what today is called Port Chatham . Due to various sicknesses among the crew , Arteaga decided to return south . On September 8 , the ships rejoined and began the return trip to San Blas . Although the Spanish were normally secretive about their exploring voyages and the discoveries made , the 1779 voyage of Arteaga and Bodega y Quadra became widely known . La Perouse obtained a copy of their map , which was published in 1798 . Mourelle ' s journal was acquired and published in London in 1798 by Daines Barrington . Wartime activities . While Spain was at war with Britain during the early 1780 the San Blas Naval Base was devoted to the defense of the Philippines . In 1780 Francisco Antonio Mourelle sailed the " Princesa " to Manila for this purpose . He returned to San Blas in 1781 . By the middle 1780s the supply of Alta California was given increased priority . Esteban José Martínez sailed the " Princesa " to Monterey several times in the early 1780s . 1788 voyage to Alaska . In March , 1788 , two ships were sent north from San Blas to further investigate Russian activity . Esteban José Martínez , the expedition commander , sailed on " La Princesa " . The packet ship " San Carlos " , under Gonzalo López de Haro with pilot José María Narváez accompanied Martínez . The ships arrived at Prince William Sound in May . Following evidence of Russian fur trading activity the ships sailed west . In June Haro and Narváez made contact with the Russians at the post at Three Saints Bay on Kodiak Island . Afterwards Haro sailed east to rejoin Martínez at Sitkinak Island . Using the information acquired at Three Saints Bay , the two ships sailed to Unalaska Island , where there was a large Russian post , also called Unalaska , under the command of Potap Kuzmich Zaikov . " La Princesa " under Martínez arrived on July 29 . Haro ' s " San Carlos " arrived on August 4 . Zaikov gave Martínez three maps covering the Aleutian Islands . He also confirmed that the Russians planned to take possession of Nootka Sound , a key harbor on the west coast of Vancouver Island , the next year . The visit to Unalaska marks the westernmost point reached during the Spanish voyages of exploration in Alaska . The two ships left Unalaska on August 18 , 1788 , and headed south for California and Mexico . Due to increasing conflict between Martínez and Haro contact was broken off within three days and the two ships sailed south separately . Martínez had allowed this but ordered Haro to rejoin him at Monterey , California . During the voyage south , however , Haro , with support from Narváez and the other pilots , declared his ship no longer under Martínez ' s command . They sailed the " San Carlos " back to San Blas on their own , arriving on October 22 , 1788 . Martínez and " La Princesa " spent a month in Monterey waiting for Haro . He arrived at San Blas in December , where he found himself faced with charges of irresponsible leadership . He soon regained favor and was placed in charge of a new expedition to occupy Nootka Sound before the Russians did . 1789 occupation of Nootka Sound . Martínez was given command of " La Princesa " with orders to take possession of Nootka Sound . Sailing from San Blas he arrived at Nootka on May 6 , 1789 . He quickly landed artillery and materials for the construction of Fort San Miguel . About a week later the " San Carlos " arrived , under Haro . The crews of the two ships were nearly identical to those aboard the previous year . In addition the ships carried 28 soldiers of the Free Company of Volunteers of Catalonia . British ships were already present when Martínez arrived , and more came during the summer . Conflict broke out between Martínez and the British , setting in motion a series of events known as the Nootka Crisis , which nearly led to war between Britain and Spain . 1792 occupation of Neah Bay . In 1792 Salvador Fidalgo was assigned to establish a Spanish post at Neah Bay ( the Spanish name was " Bahía de Núñez Gaona " ) , on the southwestern coast of the Strait of Juan de Fuca in present - day U . S . state of Washington . He was given command of " La Princesa " and , sailing from San Blas , arrived at Neah Bay on May 28 , 1792 . Work on the post began and soon land had been cleared for a garden , a livestock enclosure with a number of cows , sheep , hogs , and goats , and a stockade with a small garrison . " La Princesa " remained at Neah Bay during the work in order to provide protection . During the autumn of 1792 a conflict occurred between the Makah , natives of Neah Bay , and the Spanish . Fidalgo ' s second in command , Antonio Serantes , was killed and in retaliation Fidalgo had many Makah killed . For this action Fidalgo was severely reprimanded by his superior officers . The post at Neah Bay was abandoned and Fidalgo was recalled to Nootka Sound . Final voyages to the Pacific Northwest . The " Princesa " made several further voyages to Nootka Sound between 1792 and 1794 , as the formalities of the Nootka Conventions were addressed . The last such voyage was in the summer of 1794 , when Fidalgo carried José Manuel de Álava , the new Commandant of San Blas following the death of Bodega y Quadra , on the " Princesa " from San Blas to Nootka Sound . The formalities resolving the Nootka Crisis between Spain and Britain , initiated by Bodega y Quadra and George Vancouver , were finalized by Álava and Vancouver .