On May 2, 1792, the English explorer Captain George Vancouver, searching for a northwest passage, sailed his sloop Discovery and the armed tender Chatham down the strait of Juan de Fuca and into this sheltered harbor. He named this bay Port Discovery for his ship and called the small island guarding the entrance Protection Island. While anchored here, Vancouver set out in small boats to explore the vicinity further and discovered the nearby harbor of Port Townsend, which he named for the Marquis of Townshend.