Alonso de Salazar- discoverer of the Marshall Islands

[Anatol]

Correos Spain to commemorate the life of Spanish navigator born in Las Encartaciones, Burgos, in the 15th century, Toribio Asensio de Salazar, has issued a special wood paper stamp.
Toribio Alonso de Salazar (this is exactly what Wikipedia says about his name) , 15th century - somewhere in the Pacific , September 5, 1526 ) was a Spanish navigator who participated in the expedition of García Jofre de Loaísa . For almost a month, Salazar commanded the expedition, dying of scurvy . It was under his command that the Marshall Islands were discovered by Europeans.
Born in Vizcaya, in present-day Basque Country, Spain, Alonso de Salazar was drawn from his youth to the sea and voyages of exploration. At the height of his career, he joined the expedition of García Jofre de Loaisa , in which he was appointed treasurer on the 96-ton ship San Lesmes under the command of Francisco de Hoces . The expedition set out from the port of La Coruña before dawn on 24 July 1525 , with a fleet of six ships.
The expedition was a succession of disasters, calamities and desertions. During the voyage, among others, Captain García Jofre de Loaisa and Juan Sebastián Elcano died . Three of the ships failed to cross the Strait of Magellan and only one, the flagship Santa María de la Victoria, managed to reach the Moluccas Islands , where the crew had to face the Portuguese for almost a year. After suffering numerous vicissitudes throughout a very hard and bitter voyage, only 24 men from this ship managed to return to Spain: more than 450 men had set out on the expedition.
As it approached the Strait of Magellan, the San Lesmes was forced to brave the storm and travel to 55º south latitude , becoming the first to discover the passage of Cape Horn , the terrible southern tip of the South American continent. Thus, the pirate Francis Drake was anticipated by 55 years, and that is why in Spain and part of Latin America the " Drake Passage " thus designated by the English-speaking people is called the Mar de Hoces . The fleet managed to cross the strait on May 26, 1526, after 48 days of crossing.
During the crossing of the Pacific, the ships were separated and the San Lesmes was never seen again, although Salazar was no longer on it, but on the flagship. After Loaísa's death on 30 June, Elcano assumed command, but died five days later. Salazar then assumed the general captaincy of the expedition on 6 August 1526, and his first act in command was to bury the deceased Elcano with dignity. Salazar took command of the ship Santa María de la Victoria, the only surviving ship, and led the already disastrous expedition. His short leadership was due to scurvy , which wreaked havoc on the expedition and cost the lives of most of the crew and the loss of the ships.
In his short leadership, however, there is a great achievement, as Salazar was the first European to discover the Marshall Islands , on 21 August 1526, although it is not known whether he ever landed there. It is also believed that he sighted Bokak Atoll .
After leaving the island of Guam , Salazar's health deteriorated rapidly and he died on September 5, 1526, also a victim of the scurvy that had killed most of the crew. When he died, a conflict ensued over his succession, which ended when Martín Íñiguez de Carquizano assumed command.
Spain 2024; 3e.
Source: WOPA, https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alonso_de_Salazar.