From viking ships, to whaling canoes and on to steam ships, Gordon Miller captures the beauty, danger and energy of nautical travel and adventure in all of his artworks. This project was especially indebted to Gordon for his dedication to unlocking the secrets of the Santa Saturnina, right down to the details on deck and below. Without his advice and expertise on the Santa Saturnina, not to mention his artistic skill in capturing the emotions of the ship's crew as they explored the Northwest Coast, this project would not have been possible. Visit Gordon's website to see more of his paintings and discover the fascinating history surrounding them: gordonmiller.ca
The Santa Saturnina had a crew of 22 men, but at just under 40 feet long, it’s hard to imagine how they would have slept in such cramped conditions. In addition to the crew, the boat had to hold ammunition, supplies in the hold and enough food for all the men. To top it off, it’s likely that a goat was also present on board to provide milk.
Although records of the Santa Saturnina’s manifest have survived, it’s not certain what the 22 sailors ate on a daily basis as it simply states “Rations at the standard rate for 20 persons”. This leaves us with two questions. What does ‘rations’ mean and what about the other 2 men?
Maritime Historian Robin Inglis of the Vancouver Maritime Museum speculates that the crew would have survived on a diet of fish, eggs, hens, salted pork, beer, wine, beans, berries, elk, goat, fresh water and lots of biscuits. This diet was supplemented by what they could catch at sea and on brief land excursions. As for the other 2 men, the 20 rations were probably stretched to feed all 22.
In terms of ammunition and weapons, the ship had two small bronze cannons, three swivel guns, 100 three pound bags of roundshot, 200 two pound bags of roundshot, 130 bags of grapeshot, nine muskets with bayonets, twelve pistols and four swords.
The Santa Saturnina was a small ship packed with a crew of 22, but it's story is large and extends from the late 1700s to the modern era, having left a significant imprint on the coast of British Columbia. Click "read the full story" to learn more about this ships colourful history and its connection to the modern Saturna Island.
