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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-16/magellan-ship-victoria.webp" alt="Magellan's ship Victoria" loading="lazy" />
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(Victoria, the ship accomplishing the circumnavigation and the only to return from the expedition.)
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<h3>
The Fleet and Its Journey to the Sea
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<p>
The expedition's ships - Trinidad (Magellan's flagship), San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria, and Santiago - sailed from Seville's harbor down the Guadalquivir River to reach Sanlúcar de Barrameda, the actual departure point for Spanish voyages to the Americas. The journey from Seville to Sanlúcar de Barrameda took the fleet along Spain's only major navigable river, which flows 657 kilometers from the Sierra de Cazorla to the Atlantic Ocean at the Gulf of Cádiz.
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<p>
The fleet remained at Sanlúcar de Barrameda from August 10 until September 20, 1519, making final preparations before heading out to sea. This coastal town at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River served as the traditional launching point for Spanish expeditions to the New World, having witnessed the departure of Columbus and other great explorers.
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<h3>
The Ships and Crew
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<p>
Magellan's Armada of Molucca consisted of five vessels with varying capacities and crews:
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<ul>
<li>
<b>Trinidad</b> (110 tons) - Magellan's flagship with 55 crew members
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<li>
<b>San Antonio</b> (120 tons) - commanded by Juan de Cartagena with 60 crew members  
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<li>
<b>Concepción</b> (90 tons) - commanded by Gaspar de Quesada with 45 crew members
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<li>
<b>Santiago </b> (75 tons) - commanded by João Serrão with 32 crew members
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<li>
<b>Victoria</b> (85 tons) - commanded by Luis Mendoza with 43 crew members
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<p>
The multinational crew of approximately 270 men represented various European nations, including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Greece, England, and France. Among the notable crew members were <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/2798/antonio-pigafetta-magellans-assistant-and-chronicler" class="news_link">Antonio Pigafetta</a>, the Venetian chronicler whose detailed journal would become the primary source documenting the voyage, and Enrique of Malacca, Magellan's Malay interpreter.
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Today in Fiipino history, August 10, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan set sail from Seville, Spain with 5 vessels