Victoria was the ship that completed Magellan’s expedition around the world in 1522. It returned to Spain under the command of Juan Sebastián Elcano after Magellan had died in the Philippines.
The expedition departed Spain in 1519 with five ships: Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria, and Santiago. Magellan’s fleet found the strait now called the Strait of Magellan, crossed the Pacific, and reached the Philippines. Magellan was killed at the Battle of Mactan in April 1521, before the voyage was complete.
Only Victoria returned to Spain, arriving at Sanlúcar de Barrameda on 6 September 1522 with 18 surviving crew members. The voyage is generally credited as the first circumnavigation of Earth, although no single person completed the entire route under one command. Victoria’s achievement also demonstrated on a practical scale the global continuity of the oceans.