The Island of South Georgia is said to have been first sighted in 1675 by Anthony de la Roché, a London merchant, and was named Roche Island on a number of early maps. It was sighted by a commercial Spanish ship named León operating out of Saint-Malo on 28 June or 29 June 1756.[2] According to Argentine historians, it was explored on 29 June 1756, St. Peter's day, hence its Spanish name Isla San pedro, literally "St. Peter's Island".[3]