Sonsorol – sighted by the ship Trinidad in May 1522
The first recorded European sighting of Sonsorol and Fanna was made on 6 May 1522 by the Spanish ship Trinidad, then commanded by Gonzalo Gómez de Espinosa, which charted them as the San Juan Islands after the feast day. A Spanish missionary expedition under Francisco Padilla reached Sonsorol on 30 November 1710, and another expedition explored the islands in 1712. Later the islands passed through Spanish, German, Japanese and United States administrations. In December 2012 Typhoon Bopha struck the state severely and residents were evacuated to Koror. Sonsorolese and Palauan are spoken here. Share your memories and photographs with the community.