Ferdinand Magellan (c.1480-1521). Portrait of the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, whose ship was the first to circumnavigate the world. Magellan set sail from Seville, Spain, in August 1519 with five ships. His plan was to sail west until he arrived in India, avoiding Portuguese- controlled waters to the east. After crossing the stormy Strait of Magellan in South America the fleet struck out across a vast, tranquil ocean, which Magellan called the Pacific because of its calmness. Over 100 days later they reached the Philippines, where Magellan was killed during a squabble with natives. Only one ship made it back to Spain, arriving in September 1522.