San Agustín Shipwreck Site
Sebastián Rodríguez Cermeño's Manila galleon San Agustín wrecked in Drakes Bay in 1595 and is treated by the National Park Service as the first recorded shipwreck in California history. Accounts describe the vessel losing anchor in a storm, driving ashore, and leaving cargo.
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- Target Name: San Agustín Shipwreck Site
- Registry Category: shipwreck
- Geographic Location: Drakes Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County (Coordinates:
38.01190, -122.91920) - Land Status: Point Reyes National Seashore and protected coastal waters near Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (protected archaeological resource) (Classified as Protected / Restricted)
- Primary Historic Source: Maritime History at Point Reyes
- Search & Usefulness Rating: Score 62/100 (Field Readiness: Archive / View Only)
- Summary Overview: Sebastián Rodríguez Cermeño's Manila galleon San Agustín wrecked in Drakes Bay in 1595 and is treated by the National Park Service as the first recorded shipwreck in California history. Accounts.
Historical Overview
Sebastián Rodríguez Cermeño's Manila galleon San Agustín wrecked in Drakes Bay in 1595 and is treated by the National Park Service as the first recorded shipwreck in California history. Accounts describe the vessel losing anchor in a storm, driving ashore, and leaving cargo behind while survivors escaped south in a smaller craft. Archaeological work in the Drakes Bay district has tied sixteenth-century contact materials to this event and to the wider early-contact landscape at tamál-húye. For treasure hunters the story is compelling, but in practice this is a protected archaeological landscape rather than an open recovery site.
Field Search & Recovery Tips
Treat the whole bay-beach-estero complex as the relevant search area rather than a single point. Focus on museum collections, NPS interpretation, and storm-exposure geomorphology; do not disturb beach deposits, dunes, or submerged material. If you are reconstructing the wreck vicinity, compare historical shoreline change with present-day sand movement and exposure.
Field Action Checklist
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Point Reyes National Seashore and protected coastal waters near Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (protected archaeological resource)