Specifically, on their visit to the U.S. Naval Base Guam, Cmdr. Antonio Gonzalez Del Tanago de la Lastra commanding officer of the Alvaro de Bazan-class frigate, noted that Guam is a remarkable port visit and that it is part of their aspiration to follow the footsteps of Ferdinand Magellan in 1519.
Our mission is to complete a worldwide deployment, we are sailing eastward from Spain, we are circumnavigating the Earth and the selection of Guam was because it was a key port in the exploration of Magellan-Elcano.
He then added that following Magellan's death in 1521 in the Battle of Mactan in the Philippine islands, they managed to continue the trip because they found Guam and re-supplied. The voyage was completed by Spanish explorer Juan Sebastian de Elcano and a crew of 18 men on the Victoria.
The Spanish Navy frigate is expected to sail home in October, after voyaging through Bombay, Jakarta, Manila and Bangkok.
The Mendez Nunez (F-104) - named after the Spanish hero of the 1865 War of the Pacific, naval officer Casto Méndez Núñez- was acquired by the Spanish Navy in March 2006.
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