Pensacola Bay

Pensacola Bay is a sheltered harbor on the northern shore of the Gulf of Mexico. Barrier islands separate its waters from the open sea, while rivers and smaller bays extend inland. Indigenous peoples lived around the bay long before Spanish expeditions reached this coast.

In 1559 Tristán de Luna led a Spanish expedition to establish a settlement on the bay. A hurricane struck the fleet soon afterward, sinking ships at anchor and destroying much of the food and other supplies carried by the colony. The settlers endured great hardship, and the settlement was abandoned in 1561. Spain returned in 1698, establishing a new presidio as European powers competed for positions along the northern Gulf. The bay’s sheltered anchorage remained central to those ambitions.