On This Day In History: Vasco De Gama Departed On The First European Voyage To India – On July 8, 1497

MessageToEagle.com – On July 8, 1497, Vasco da Gama Portuguese explorer, departed from Lisbon on voyage that led to discovery of searoute to India around the southern tip of Africa.

His journey opened the Far East to European trade and colonial expansion.

De Gama captained a fleet of four vessels and he himself rode in the 200-ton ‘St. Gabriel’ and his younger brother Paulo led the ‘St. Rafael’. Da Gama sailed south, along the western coast of Africa, and then continued into the Atlantic before veering back in an arc to meet the South African coast.

On 7 November they landed at St Helena Bay, 200km (125 miles) north of the Cape of Good Hope. They had been out of sight of land for 13 weeks – much longer than Columbus on his trans-Atlantic voyage – and had travelled a distance of more than 7,200km (4,500 miles) from Cape Verde.

They would now be sailing in unknown and very dangerous waters.

On Christmas Day 1497, the three remaining ships (the store ship was burnt, and the supplies re-distributed among the other ships) were sailing northwards along the east coast of what is now South Africa and called the country ‘Natal’. By 11 January 1498 they were exploring the mouth of Copper River (‘Rio Cobre’), and tried to trade with the ruling Sultan, his paltry gifts were rejected.

Moving slowly north east against a strong south-westerly current, they traveled 2,700km (1,700 miles) up the coast until, on 2 March 1498, they sailed into the port of Mozambique where da Gama tried to trade with the ruling Sultan. Despite sparing no expense to equip the expedition, the Portuguese had totally underestimated the quality of goods being traded in this part of the world – cotton, ivory, gold and pearls.

The explorers continued to sail to Mombassa to find better possibilities to trade goods but with no luck; fortunately the ruler of Malindi who was more welcoming than others, gave them an important knowledge and skilled pilot, who was able to show the explorers the route to India.

The crossing of the Arabian Sea took 27 days and was eased by the favorable monsoon winds. The Portuguese fleet arrived at Calicut on 20 May 1498.

India’s Malabar Coast was at the center of the spice trade but the Muslim traders were unwilling to relinquish control of the spice trade to the Christian traders from Europe.

It was a very exhausting voyage back to Malindi.

Vasco da Gama arrived in Lisbon on 18 September and rode in triumph through the city. He had been away for more than two years, travelled 38,600km (24,000 miles) and spent 300 days at sea. Only 54 of the original crew of 170 had survived.

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