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Replica of Magellan's Flagship Hits Bridge in St. Augustine

Nao Trinidad
File image courtesy Nao Trinidad

Published Oct 28, 2024 5:20 PM by The Maritime Executive

On Monday, a tall ship allided with a bridge at the harbor entrance at St. Augustine, Florida, striking the structure but causing no major damage. 

The vessel - a replica of Magellan's famed carrack Trinidad, the flagship of the first expedition ever to circle the globe - arrived at St. Augustine at about 0800 hours on Monday morning. As the crew waited for the harbor drawbridge to open, the vessel lost propulsion and drifted into the structure. 

First responders were on scene quickly and moved the Trinidad to a nearby barge mooring just north of the bridge, according to local media. No damage or injuries were reported. 

The Trinidad is a 90-foot, 200 GT replica of the original Nao Trinidad, Magellan's flagship on his famed voyage of discovery in 1519-22. The recreated vessel was built in 2017-18, and was constructed out of a combination of iroko wood planks and a fiberglass outer sheath. Its dimensions and rigging are faithful to the original design.  

The original Nao Trinidad departed Spain in August 1519, one of five ships under Magellan's command. The expedition's objective was to establish a westbound route to the Moluccas (the eastern half of Indonesia), where Portugal controlled a lucrative trade in nutmeg, mace and cloves - at the time, extremely rare and valuable commodities in Europe. The expedition crossed the Atlantic and made for the tip of South America, where they discovered, named and passed through the Strait of Magellan. Four of the five vessels continued on to cross the Pacific, visiting equatorial islands and reaching their objective The long voyage took a toll on the flotilla and the crews, claiming the lives of most of the 270 men who set out - including Magellan himself.

The Trinidad reached the Moluccas and attempted to return across the Pacific, but to no avail. Badly damaged in a storm, she returned to the Moluccas and was captured and stripped by Portuguese forces. Navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano led the remnants of the flotilla home. Only 40 men and one vessel - the Victoria - survived the full voyage and returned to Spain. (One other ship made it back because its officers deserted and returned early, but it never completed a circumnavigation.)