Magellan was born in Portugal and was a successful explorer and navigator. He wanted to reach South-East Asia, where spices grew and gems were to be found, by sailing westwards across the Atlantic Ocean. He hoped to find a passage through South America so that he could sail all the way from the Atlantic to the ocean beyond the Americas now known as the Pacific.
He left Spain in with five ships and about men. Magellan found the strait that is now named after him, but only by chance. When two of his ships were driven towards land in a storm, the men feared they would be wrecked on the shore. Then, just in time, they spotted a small opening in the coastline. It was not until September 20, that the fleet set sail from here. On his flagship, the Trinidad, Magellan had a torch installed at night so that the other ships could maintain visual contact. Magellan sailed first to the Canary Islands, where he took up supplies in Tenerife on 26 September, and then to the Cape Verde Islands 3 October , where he set course for Brazil.
On November 20th, his fleet crossed the equator. The Portuguese later gave it the name of St. As the southern winter was approaching, Magellan decided to hibernate. Because of running out of supplies, he had his food rations cut. Already on April 1, the poor supply situation led to a mutiny.
Due to hunger, disease and exhaustion, some crew members demanded their return to Spain. Again all bays and estuaries were searched in detail for the paso.
Before the passage, Magellan asked the captains of the other ships whether they favoured a continuation of the voyage or a return. No one except the pilot of the San Antonio dared to recommend a change. Since the passage is divided several times, a boat and two ships were sent out for exploration. From the crew of the boat came the message that the road had an exit to the northwest: The South Sea was reached.
The fleet continued and in early they reached the equator and later Guam. The cities they traveled to were named by Magellan according to the features he observed.
The Magellan—Elcano voyage. At that time, sailors were still alive. By late spring, surviving on seal and penguin meat, the armada entered what is now known as the Strait of Magellan, the narrow body of water separating mainland South America from the Tierra del Fuego. The armada lost another ship during the passage through the Strait: the San Antonio , which became separated from the rest of the armada, and turned around and returned to Spain.
An engraving c. Once the three remaining ships reached the other side of the Strait of Magellan, the sea they found was calm and placid. Magellan christened it the Pacific Ocean.
Crossing the Pacific, the crew of the remaining ships suffered terribly. Twenty-nine sailors died during the four-month voyage. In April , the group put into an island in the Pacific: Cebu, in what is now the Philippines. Magellan befriended the local ruler, Raja Humabon, and became embroiled in local politics, which would be his downfall.
Fighting in the shallow waters off the shore, Magellan and 49 of his men squared off against over 1, Mactanese warriors. Facing such poor odds, Magellan was killed, as well as seven of his men, and his ships returned to Cebu. A 19th-century illustration of the death of Magellan left ; a plaque in Cebu commemorating the site of Magellan's death, Philippines right. The rest of the members set sail, fleeing to the safety of the sea. For the next six months the ships engaged in piracy as they made their way to the Spice Islands.
Finally, in November, they arrived at the island of Tidore, part of the Malukus, and filled their holds with cloves. The Trinidad, which was taking on water, could not be repaired, and it was abandoned along with its crew. Detail of a map showing the Victoria , the only ship from the armada to successfully circumnavigate the earth.
This voyage took over six months, during which the crew subsisted on rice alone. VOA Africa Listen live. VOA Newscasts Latest program. VOA Newscasts. Previous Next. August 05, PM. Agence France-Presse. Historical Magellan's voyage was a turning point in history, as unique as the first manned journey into outer space and the later moon landings, said NASA scientist Alan Stern, leader of its New Horizons interplanetary space probe. Geographical Magellan's voyage rewrote the maps and geography books.
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