Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese navigator who stood out as the commander of the first ships that sailed from Europe to India, in the longest oceanic journey ever performed until then. This journey was longer than a complete roundtrip along the Equator. He was Admiral of the Sea of India, and for a short period, Viceroy of India. He was probably born in 1469, in Sines. He was the legitimate son of Estêvão da Gama, knight of the house of King Ferdinand I of Portugal, Duke of Viseu and Master of the Order of Christ. Little is known about Vasco da Gama’s early life. When he was 10 years old, Bartolomeu Dias had just arrived from sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, after exploring the “Rio do Infante” and verifying that the unknown coast went northeast. King Manuel I of Portugal appointed Vasco da Gama as Captain General of the fleet that departed from Belem in search of India on July 8, 1497,a Saturday. The expedition departed from Lisbon, accompanied by Bartolomeu Dias on a carrack towards Mina, following the route already tried by the previous explorers along the coast of Africa, through Tenerife and the Cape Verde archipelago. After more than three months, the ships had travelled more than 6.000 kilometers of open sea, the longest high sea voyage until then. On February 12, 1502, Vasco da Gama commanded a new expedition with a fleet of 20 warships, with the objective of enforcing Portugal’s interests in the East. After arriving in the Indian Ocean, Vasco da Gama waited until capturing Mîrî, a ship that was returning to Mecca with relevant Muslim merchants, seizing all the goods and setting her on fire. Vasco da Gama established the Portuguese trading station of Cochin, in India, and returned to Portugal in September 1503, where he lived a quiet life in Évora, in spite of the esteem held by the king for him. Having acquired a fearful reputation when solving issues in India, he was sent there again in 1524. As Viceroy, he acted with severity and managed to impose order. However, he contracted malaria right after arriving at Goa and died on Christmas Eve of 1524, in Cochin. He was buried in the Church of St. Francis (Cochin). In 1539, his remains were transferred to Portugal, more specifically, to the church of a Carmelite convent, which is today known as Quinta do Carmo. His remains stayed there until 1880, when they were transferred to the Monastery of Jerónimos, which was built with the profits of spice trade right after his first voyage. His remains were put next to the tomb of Luís Vaz de Camões.

The Navy, 700 years serving Portugal at sea