
Ten ships under Da Gama's leadership were assisted by two flotillas of five ships each, each of which was led by a relative. Da Gama, who was promoted to the rank of admiral in January 1502, was assigned command of this fleet. Because of the success of this mission, Lisbon quickly equipped the third fleet. Manuel I sent the Portuguese navigator Pedro Alvares Cabral to Calicut with a fleet of 13 ships to capitalize on da Gama's accomplishment.

It is one of the most interesting facts about Vasco da Gama that he was the first European to reach India by sea, and the journey is frequently regarded by historians as one of the best and most successful voyages of all time. On their maiden voyage, they arrived in India in less than a month.

Additionally, the fleet included padres, or stone pillars, for use as markers of discovery. On July 8, 1497, Vasco da Gama set off from Lisbon with a fleet of four ships, including a 200-ton storeship, a 50-ton caravel, and two medium-sized three-masted sailing ships, the "So Gabriel" and the "So Rafael." Three interpreters, including one who understood multiple Bantu languages and two Arabic speakers, were sent with Vasco da Gama's ship. To build a trade route to the west and successfully travel a route that many had tried before him but failed to complete, King Manuel had ordered Vasco da Gama to India. Vasco da Gama undertook the first known voyage from Europe to India through the Atlantic Ocean in 1495–1499, during the rule of Portuguese King Manuel I. He struggled with inferiority because he came from a low-income household, thus his goals were to become wealthy and famous. Vasco da Gama was well known for his aggressive, gruff, and unyielding demeanor. Da Gama completed this mission quickly and successfully. In response to French attacks on Portuguese commerce during the French civil war, King John II of Portugal dispatched Vasco da Gama to the port of Setubal, south of Lisbon, and to the Algarve, Portugal's southernmost region, in 1492. At this young age, Vasco de Gama had also traveled across the Mediterranean and stopped at the Moroccan city of Tânger. Vasco da Gama practically spent his whole childhood with sailors and travelers, enhancing his understanding in this area.Īt the age of 18, Vasco da Gama had already enlisted as a ship's crewman tasked with guarding Portuguese ports along the African coast against piracy. Estêvo da Gama, a small provincial nobleman who oversaw the stronghold of Sines on the Alentejo province's coast in southwestern Portugal, was the father of Da Gama, the third son.

Vasco da Gama was born in the city of Sines in the year 1469.
