The provisioning of an overseas mission with galleons in the 16th century was a very difficult and painful endeavor. If we take, for example, Magellan’s expedition of 1519-22, we will be amazed by the volume of food and supplies that were gathered.

For his 5 ships: “Concepcion,” “Victoria,” “Santiago,” “Trinidad,” “San Antonio,” Magellan gathered food worth 1,252,909 maravedis, almost as much as the value of the ships. This number covered about 2/3 of the journey as the plan also included searching for food during the voyage. In any case, the indefatigable Portuguese gathered enormous quantities, enough to feed 237 people for at least 2 years(!) at sea: 400 barrels of wine, 6 tons of well-dried biscuit, 2 tons of flour in wooden barrels, which was kneaded with seawater and baked like a type of tortilla, 10 tons of pork, bacon, pork meat, and of course, preserved beef, as well as seven cows and three pigs for additional fresh meat, 36 large barrels of cheese, baskets of figs, and 200 containers of preserved sardines, anchovies, and tunas “because the oceans are unpredictable.”

Fresh vegetables were naturally unavailable, so instead, the sailors consumed chickpeas, lentils, beans, rice, garlic, and almonds, as well as 30 small containers of raisins. Magellan carried jellies and marmalades, including an apple marmalade called “diacitron,” while his officers (Capitanos del Flota) had another, made from quince paste, which, due to its high vitamin C content, saved their lives(!) during the terrible crossing of the Pacific, which cost the lives of 29 crew members due to scurvy. Of course, salt was used for curing meat and fish, as well as 40 kilograms of honey, used as a sweetener. There were also 5 kilograms of sugar, but these were at the disposal of the mission’s doctor and given only to the sick. In addition to these, there were many meters of fishing lines, hooks, as well as harpoons for larger prey.

As for the armament, Magellan’s small fleet was well equipped: 40 arquebuses, 120 halberds, 60 lances, 110 pikes, 200 swords, 8 large two-handed swords, 15 axes, 50 daggers, 35 shields, 10 halberds, 180 breastplates, 220 helmets, 20 crossbows, 2,200 crossbow bolts, 28 cannons, 6 swivel guns, 2 tons of gunpowder, 1620 cannonballs, and 40 meters of fuse. The crew consisted of 187 Spaniards, 18 Portuguese, 16 Italians, 7 French, 4 Greeks, 1 German, and 1 Englishman and 1 Swede.

The brave Magellan left nothing to chance, but luck was not on his side, as he met a heroic death on Mactan Island, in the Visayan Sea, in the Philippines. Nevertheless, one of his ships, the legendary “Victoria,” with only 18 skeleton crew members (including the Greek Nikolaos from Nafplio), managed to accomplish for the first time in history the circumnavigation of the globe(!) and entered the Spanish port of Seville with 150 tons(!) of spices in its holds on September 10, 1522.”