Steve Johnson, Master Ship Rigger

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San Salvador » Maritime Museum of San Diego

Sixty-five years before the first English settlement on the North American continent, eighty years before Mayflower crossed a much smaller ocean to New England; Europeans sighted, charted, and made first contact with the native inhabitants of what would one day be the west coast of the United States. When the small San Salvador entered the harbor now called San Diego, the galleon was perhaps the most powerful vessel in the Pacific Ocean.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is building a full-sized, fully functional, and historically accurate replica of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo's flagship, San Salvador. As a dynamic, living exhibit and educational platform for school children, residents, and visitors, this replica ship will symbolize California's multi-cultural origins, highlight the first encounters between Europeans and Native American populations, document the dawn of the scientific revolution, translate its significance and crucial lessons concretely for all visitors but particularly for K?12 students, demonstrate advances in maritime history, and celebrate Cabrillo's contributions as the leader of the earliest European exploration of California.