In 1740 Commodore George Anson left England with a squadron of eight ships, with orders to sail to the Pacific and harass Spanish ships and settlements. His expedition, despite the success in capturing the Covadonga, a Spanish galleon, was marred with peril and horrific losses. Several of his ships were lost at sea or lost along the voyage and forced to return back to England. A mutiny broke out after one of the ships had wrecked off the coast of Chile. Of the initial crew of 1,854, only 188 remained with the expedition when it returned to England in 1744.

In 1742, Anson and what was left of his expedition arrived in Tinian. After so many men had been lost to disease, lack of food and water, during the trip, the island felt akin to a paradise or an oasis. By this time, CHamorus of Tinian had been forcibly deported to live in Guam decades earlier by the Spanish, and so the island was empty of other people. It was filled with natural life, including cattle placed there by the Spanish.

Anson and his men camped near the Guma’Tåga or the House of Tåga in the southern part of the island. They captured a CHamoru sakman, crewed by four CHamorus and a Spaniard, and intrigued and impressed by its agility in the water, created a detailed draw of its design.

Years after his harrowing, but successful circumnavigation of the globe, an account was published of his expedition, which became a bestseller. Copies of his book can be found in the collection of the Guam Museum. The two images for this post are inspired by Anson’s arrival at Tinian and the depiction of the latte at the House of Tåga.