Report to the Crown

Document Extracts regarding the Luna Settlement and Hurricane. Transcribed and translated by John E. Worth. Extract from Luna report to Spanish crown, Sept. 24, 1559, regarding the storm: “During the night of the nineteenth of this month of September, there arose from the north a fierce storm which, running for twenty-four hours with winds in all [directions] up to the same hour that it began, not ceasing but instead always increasing, [and] it inflicted irreparable damage on the ships of the armada, with the loss of many sea men and passengers, both in their lives and with their possessions, grounding all the ships that were within this port, with it being one of the best that there is in all these Indies, except one caravel and two barks which escaped.” “En la noche diez y nuebe deste mes de setiembre se lebanto de la parte del norte una tenpestad braba q[ue] corriendo por beinte y quatro oras por todos los biento hasta la misma ora q[ue] començara no parando syno sienpre yendo en crecimi.o hizo en las naos del harmada danos yrreparables con perdida de muchos honbres de la mar y pasajeros asi de sus bidas como de sus haziendas, echando al trabes las naos todas q[ue] dentro este puerto estavan con ser uno de los buenos q[ue] hen todas estas yndias ay açeto una carabela y dos barcas q[ue] [e]scaparon.”