Captain John Byron, who is unaware of…
1766 CE
Captain John Byron, who is unaware of the French presence in the east, had explored Saunders Island, in the west, in 1765, named the harbor Port Egmont, and claimed this and other islands for Britain on the grounds of prior discovery.
Captain John MacBride establishes a British settlement at Port Egmont the following year.
These events nearly cause a war between Britain and Spain, both countries having sent armed fleets to contest sovereignty of the strategically important islands.