SANTA RITA, Guam -- The Spanish Navy training ship Juan Sebastian De Elcano arrived at Apra Harbor at U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) Feb. 26. The Elcano was greeted by Commander, Joint Region Marianas Rear Adm. John Menoni, Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio.

The Elcano's visit commemorates the 500th anniversary of the Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation. The current expedition will take naval training sailing ships across the Atlantic to Argentina, through the Straits of Magellan, and across the Pacific Ocean, passing Guam and the Philippines on their way back to the
Spanish port of Cádiz.

On March 6, 1521, Magellan arrived in Guam as part of the Spanish expedition he organized in an effort to find a sea route to the East Indies.

Magellan was killed in the Battle of Mactan in the Philippine islands in 1521. The voyage was completed by Spanish explorer Juan Sebastian Elcano, the ship's namesake.

The four-masted Elcano is a training ship used for Spanish midshipmen. It is the third-largest tall ship in the world and was built in 1927.

In September 2019, the Spanish Navy Frigate Mendez Nunez also ported at NBG to retrace the Magellan-Elcano voyage.