Trinidad was the flagship of Ferdinand Magellan’s 1519–1522 expedition. The ship’s name means “Trinity” in Spanish, and it served as the expedition’s capitana, or principal command vessel, during the opening stages of the voyage.
Trinidad was a nao, a large ocean-going sailing ship related to the carrack. It measured about 100–110 tonels and originally carried a crew of 61. Magellan used it as his command ship as the fleet crossed the Atlantic, sailed along South America, and passed through the strait that now bears his name into the Pacific Ocean.
After Magellan was killed in the Philippines in 1521, Trinidad and Victoria continued to the Moluccas. Both ships were loaded with cloves, but Trinidad developed serious leaks and had to remain behind for repairs. Victoria, commanded by Juan Sebastián Elcano, sailed west and became the only ship from the expedition to return to Spain.
Trinidad later attempted to cross the Pacific eastward toward New Spain, but the voyage failed because of poor weather, disease, and severe shortages. Portuguese forces eventually captured the crippled ship at Tidore, and it was later wrecked. Victoria—not Trinidad—is the ship most associated with completing the circumnavigation.