December 11 to January 9 The Nao Victoria galleon in Cartagena

A faithful replica of the first vessel to sail around the world can be visited in the port of Cartagena

Anyone with an interest in military or naval history will enjoy a visit to Cartagena between December 11 and January 9, when a replica of the Nao Victoria is to be moored in the port area and is open for visits.

The vessel is a replica of the first vessel to circumnavigate the Earth, a voyage overseen by Fernão de Magalhães (Magellan in English), covering 45,000 miles and lasting three years between 1519 and 1522.

The Victoria formed part of a 5-ship expedition which set off to map a potential trade route for Spain in an era when the spices trade was just beginning and European powers were jostling to enrich themselves. More than half of the route was unmapped and these vessels were charged with preparing the routes, mapping the coastlines and establishing a path which Spanish vessels could follow.

Financed by Carlos V, the journey began with five vessels, the other four being the Trinidad (110 tons, crew 55), San Antonio (120 tons, crew 60), Concepcion (90 tons, crew 45), and Santiago (75 tons, crew 32). But whereas 265 men began the journey, only 18 returned alive and the Victoria (85 tons, 45 crew) was the only vessel to complete the route. She’s believed to have been broken up after the journey, returning with a hold full of spices but bailing water constantly and her sails in tatters.

During the voyage three of the ships were wrecked or scuttled and the San Antonio abandoned the trip, returning alone to Europe. The captaincy of the Victoria changed several times: following a mutiny the original captain, Luis De Mendoza, was executed, along with the captain of the Concepción. The captain of the San Antonio was left marooned on the coast and Duarte Barbosa, who had helped Magellan to quell the mutiny, became captain of the Victoria.

Magellan himself was killed during the Battle of Mactan and Barbosa took control of the expedition, but then he too died when the Rajah of Humabon in Cebu (Philippines) invited the captains and crew of the visiting ships to attend a banquet in honour of the King of Spain and poisoned most of his guests or took them for ransom.

Pilot João Carvalho, who had survived the trap, then became the captain of "Victoria," but he was deposed and Juan Sebastián Elcano became captain and completed the journey.

The crew who survived were a mixed bag of nationalities, survivors of the four vessels which began the journey, but most of this is known only because one of them, Antonio Pigafetta, kept detailed journals documenting the voyage and provided the story of what had occurred whilst at sea.

This vessel is a faithful replica of the original and was built using oak and pine, the only significant difference being that modern paints and waterproofing materials were used. Between 2004 and 2006 she completed her own round-the-world trip, stopping in 17 countries along the way.

She is surprisingly small at 60 to 70 feet and it’s astonishing to think that this housed 45 crew. Between 15 and 20 mariners are required to sail the vessel, and the remainder were soldiers who provided vital support on dry land, filling up with spices and stocking up on supplies.

The Nao Victoria continues to sail from port to port with around 15 crew, using only sail power, on a mission to educate and encourage an interest in sailing and the history of Spain. All the sailing is manual, with 12 sailors required to unfurl the massive mainsail, weighing more than 1,200 kilos and displaying the cross of Santiago due to the original links with the religious-military order of the same name.

The public can visit the Nao Victoria in the port of Cartagena between December 11 and January 9 between 10am and 6.30pm. Tickets are priced at €7 for adults and €4 for children, and are available by email from ecampos@velacuadra.es or at the location or online here.

For more upcoming events in the Region of Murcia go to the What’s on section of Murcia Today.