MUSEUMS

MARITIME MUSEUM
It is located in Pavilions 3 and 4 of the ex-penitentiary. Its cells conserve testimonies from its last occupants. This museum teaches Tierra del Fuego's history from its navigator-discoverers and their ships, and shows many videos detailing geographical and maritime features of the province.

Here one may admire scale models of seagoing vessels, original reports and other documentation dealing with contacts with aboriginal peoples and the peopling of these southern lands. As of 1998, the Museum displays a perfect full-size replica of the "End-of-the-World Lighthouse", which served as a reference point for navigators and a symbol of the mysterious De los Estados Island.

The model vessels in the "Model Room" have been chosen as a historical representation of the development of naval construction over a period of five centuries. The museum is located on the corner of Yáganes and Gobernador Paz, and may be reached at Phone (2901) 437481/43.

"Trinidad" Carrack
This was a Portuguese vessel that developed from the caravel and was the property of Hernando de Magallanes, in English, Magellan, (1480-1521). This Portuguese navigator, at the service of the Spanish crown and king Carlos V, sailed through the straits that bear his name in 1520, finding a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He was the first European to set eyes on this region, which he named "Tierra de los Fuegos" ("Land of the Fires"), from the large number of native bonfires which were visible from the sea. He also christened the coastline above as "Patagonia" (the "Land of the Large Feet") because of the size of the aborigines' footprints. No doubt the arrival in these remote latitudes of explorers, pirates, collectors, scholars, scientists, researchers, missionaries, seal hunters and whalers, gold seekers and tradesmen forged that strange mixture of illusion, curiosity and character which shaped the spirit of the modern inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego.

"Beagle" 10-Gun Brig
This vessel was used in two British expeditions intended to carry out a detailed analysis and study of the region. Its captains were British sailors William Parker King (1829) and Robert Fitz Roy (1831). One of their most important discoveries was the Beagle Channel.

"Espora" Brigantine
Argentine navigator Luis Piedrabuena was cast away on the De los Estados Island when this vessel's shipwrecked in 1873. With the wreckage he built the cutter "Luisito", to continue his voyage through the South Seas to establish the Argentine sovereignty. Thanks to his trading activity he became the owner of the De los Estados Island, of a business in San Gregorio and, finally of a commercial establishment in the province of Santa Cruz. In 1884, a few months before he was due to leave for Tierra del Fuego with the South Atlantic Expeditionary Division commanded by Commodore Augusto Laserre, he died in Buenos Aires city.

"Uruguay" Corvette
This was the first official Argentine navy ship to be sent to the Antarctic. In 1904 it rescued the Swedish expedition headed by Dr. Otto Nordenskjöld, land accompanied by the Argentine midshipman José María Sobral. Afterwards, it was used to relieve personnel in Argentine Antarctic naval and hydro-graphical investigation bases. This vessel was linked to polar activities, of a scientific as well as tourist nature, as Ushuaia is the southernmost city and therefore the closest to the Antarctic. It is now stationed in the port of Buenos Aires, located in the Puerto Madero district.

"Paraná" Gunship
This was the flagship of the South Atlantic Expeditionary Division, commanded by Commodore Augusto Laserre. It hove in Ushuaia Bay in 1884. This time it was met by the British Anglican Mission directed by Thomas Bridges. On October 12 that year, the District of Ushuaia was recognized, and its flag was changed for the Argentine one (white and light blue horizontal bands), replacing the Anglican Mission flag (a white cross on a red background). Almost immediately afterwards, an Argentine Under-Prefecture was set up on De los Estados Island, and the San Juan de Salvamento lighthouse (later to be known as the "End-of-the-World Lighthouse" was constructed, as well as a military barracks and the First Military Prison (which was to be closed down later).

"May 1st" Sailing Ship
This was a transportation ship of the Argentinean Navy. It brought the first group of inmates in 1896, and for many years it was the most regular connection with the city of Buenos Aires, transporting the mail, newspapers and supplies. This historical vessel sailed through the Antarctic, crossed the stormy Drake Channel in 1943, and in the end foundered on the Buenos Aires coast.

"Saint Christopher" Tugboat
This vessel anchored in Ushuaia in 1953 to assist in the re-floating of the grounded German luxury cruiser Monte Cervantes, which had run aground in the vicinity of the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse on January 22, 1930. It was not able to realize this purpose, and due to its engine problems was not even able to leave Ushuaia Bay. It turned into a landmark and a symbol of the city's history.