Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese sea captain who made his fame for commanding the first voyage to sail around the world. Magellan went to King Charles I of Spain with his proposal to sail to the Spice Islands by sailing south of South America.

Magellan set sail from Spain on September 20, 1519. He commanded five ships: the Concepcion, San Antonio, Santiago, Trinidad, and Victoria. These five ships totaled 241 crew members. The five ships sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to South America. They followed the coast of South America to the current Rio de Janerio. The crew remained here for about two weeks and then continued south in search of the pacific ocean. Magellan and his crew anchored in San Julian in March of 1520 for the winter.

During the winter the Santiago was destroyed by a winter storm. A mutiny also broke out in the winter of 1520. Magellan and his loyalist defeated the mutineers. Before they resumed their voyage in October of 1520, they executed the leader of the mutiny and marooned two other crew memeber involved in the mutiny. Magellan and the remaining 238 members of his crew set sail for the Pacific. As they sailed for the Pacific the memebers of the the San Antonio mutinied and returned to Spain.

Magellan and his crew were not prepared for the emmenceness of the Pacific Ocean. Their food and water supply gave out before the finding land. To avoid starvation, they ate rats, ox hides, and sawdust to avoid starvation. Nineteen men died before landing on the island of Guam.

Magellan and his crew renewed their food and water supplies before conflicts with the island natives broke out. They continued their voyage until they reached the Philippines. Resting for several weeks in the Philippines, Magellan tried converting many natives to Christianity. During these conversion attempts Magellan and his crew to part in a battle whis lead to the death of Magellan.

110 crew members were left after the battle. The crew members abandoned the Concepcion. The remaining two ships sailed for the Spice Islands. There, the ships were loaded with spices. The new leaders of the two ships decided that the two ships should make seperate return voyages.

The Trinidad tried to sail eastward back across the Pacific Ocean. Bad weather and diseases hit the ship and half of the crew died. The survivors were forced to return to the Spice Islands where the Purtuguese imprisoned them.

theVictoria continued to sail westward. The ship also hit great hardship, and many of the crew died of malnutrition and starvation. On September 6, 1522 the Victoria with 18 survivors reached home.

One of the greatest navigational feats in history lasted nearly three years at the price of four ships and 223 men.