Cabrillo's Ship: The San Salvador.

The explorer, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, first entered San Diego Bay in 1542 aboard his ship, the San Salvador.  A month ago my wife and I discovered that they were building an exact full-size replica of Cabrillo's ship here in San Diego, across from the airport.  On Sunday, we checked it out.

Model of the San Salvador.

 

There's a piece of wood that you're allowed to stamp.  It will be placed on the ship once it's built.

The exhibit has several items that reflect Cabrillo's time period.

 

And then there's the progress of the ship itself:

It's hard to believe they had over 100 people on that ship when it sailed.  I can't even begin to imagine what life was like.

It's on schedule to be completed by the middle of 2013, where it will be placed in the water via crane, and make a brief trip up the California coast to recreate Cabrillo's last voyage.  It will then be permanently docked at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.  I definitely recommend checking it out if you're in San Diego.