Tall Ships

Magellan Circumnavigation 1

Ferdinand Magellan had a letter from a friend Francisco Serrao, who had gone exploring with Portuguese Navigator Antonio de Abreu to the Moluccas in 1512. Serrao described the riches of the Spice Islands to Magellan in that letter. Francisco Serrao had arrived at Ternate and stayed there, hoping to set up a trading empire for himself on the island. Serrao placed the Spice Islands way to the east of their true position and placed them in the Spanish half of the world according to the treaty of Tordesillas. This may have been intentional by Serrao.

Magelland presented this information to the King of Spain in 1519 in order to be given a fleet of ships to go to the Spice Islands to make his fortune. Magellan also presented a slave Enrique, who came from the Spice Islands, who told them all about the riches of the Spice Islands. Magellan intended to sail south along the eastern coast of South America until he found the end of the continent and then turn west towards the Spice Islands. Magellan showed the king and his advisors a globe of the world that he had stolen from the Portuguese and demonstrated the route that he proposed to take.

King Charles of Spain offered Magellan five ships which would be called the Armada de Molucca. Since they were sailing out of Seville and the Guadalquivir River was shallow these ships were not very large. Magellan's flagship, the Trinidad, only weighed one hundred tons. The San Antonio, which carried most of the provisions, was 120 tons. The Concepction was ninety tons, the Victoria 85 tons, and the Santiago, a reconnaissance ship, was just 75 tons. Santiago was a caravel, and the rest were classed as naos. Each ship had three masts, one of which carried a lateen sail. In a bizarre decision, Ferdinand Magellan and Ruy Faleiro were made co-captains, a choice that sowed the seeds of later dissent and mutiny. To further complicate the chain of command, King Charles made Juan de Cartagena the inspector General of the fleet, ostensibly under the command of Magellan and Faleiro, but at a higher rate of pay. Essentially Cartagena was the business head of the fleet and reported directly to the king.

On May 8th 1519 Magellan received his orders from King Charles. They could be summarised below :

• Record evey landfall and landmark they reached
• Find any trading opportunities or resources in the lands they found.
• Treat indigenous peoples humanely
• They could seize any Arabs they found in the Spanish hemisphere, and sell them as slaves.
• Make a treaty with the rulers of the Spice Islands so that trade could happen
• Do not touch the local women.

Unfortunately Ruy Faleiro became mentally unstable and the king told him not to sail and gave sole command to Magellan. Magellan gained Faleiro's modern navigational instruments which consisted of 35 compasses, a wooden astrolabe, six metal astrolabes, 21 wooden quadrants, and 18 hour glasses. As well as top secret and valuable charts that had been drawn up by Faleiro, Nuno Garcia, and Magellan. Magellan's five ships were tied up at the Puerto de las Muelas(Millstone Dock) and they took on the sailing gear, arms, and provisions for the voyage. Most of the food consisted of wine and hard tack. The ships also took on flour(for tortillas)stored in wooden barrels, pork, bacon, ham, and salted beef. They also took seven live cows and three pigs. There were also barrels of cheese, almonds, mustard, and casks of figs. And salted sardines, cod, anchovies, and tuna. Vinegar was used as a disinfectant, honey as a sweetener. The most glaring ommission from that diet was fruit and vegetables which would avert the dreaded scurvy. The fleet was ordered to limit the crew to 235 men. Magellan Sails to South America

Magellan Circumnavigation part 2
Magellan Circumnavigation part 3
Magellan circumnavigation part 4