Port Etches is a bay in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska.
[1] While the Spaniards were anchored in Port Etches they performed a formal possession ceremony.
All the officers and chaplains went ashore in procession, raised a large cross while cannons and muskets fired salutes.
After a sermon was preached a formal deed of possession was drawn up and signed by the officers and chaplains.
The title to Puerto de Santiago was important for years afterward, as it formed the basis of Spain's claim to sovereignty in the North Pacific up to 61°17′N.