On the 10th August 1519, five Spanish naos or ships manned by 245 men, set sail from the port of Seville. Among the ships was the Nao Victoria. The crew of the fleet experienced all sorts of hardship, some of whom lost their lives.
Over three years, the expedition crossed three oceans, reaching Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina to finally discover the Strait of Magellan. They crossed the great Pacific Ocean, discovering islands and archipelagos, finally reaching the Philippines and the Moluccas. From Indonesia, the Nao Victoria, the only surviving ship of the expedition, began its return journey commanded by Juan Sebastián Elcano. Crossing the Indian Ocean, she crossed the Cape of Good Hope, skirted the African continent, and sailed for Spain.
Finally on September 8th, 1522, 18 men arrived in Seville, achieving the greatest feat of all time in the history of navigation: the First Circumnavigation Around the World.
A decision was made to build a replica of this ship, every piece carefully crafted. This was on display at the World Fair in Seville in 1992.
Between 2004 and 2006 the replica of the Nao Victoria completed a round the world voyage to commemorate the story of Spanish maritime explorers. It sailed 26,894 nautical miles, visited 17 countries on 5 different continents and became the first replica of a ship to complete the journey around the world
Following the extraordinary adventure of the round-the-world voyage from 2004 to 2006 and taking the name of the ship, the Nao Victoria Foundation was established in 2006 as a non-profit organization with the aim of continuing to promote the First Circumnavigation of the Globe and
Spanish maritime history through this unique and exceptional historical replica.
The Nao Victoria will be visiting and docking at the Premier Marina in Sovereign Harbour between the 18th and 22nd June 2025 as part of it’s latest expedition. Tickets are available to take a self guided tour of the decks where you will be able to discover the history of the Nao Victoria through the information panels. You will also be able to talk to the crew of the replica ship, real sailors who live as they did over 500 years ago.
Advance tickets are available from here, It will also be possible to purchase tickets on the ship
Celebrating Seaford 