Replica of first ship to sail around globe in Dover

News imageThe Nao Victoria Foundation A replica of the Nao Victoria. It is a dark brown wooden ship. There are six main sails on the boat. Three of them have red crosses on. The ship is in the sea. The sea is calm and blue. The sky is blue and cloudless.The Nao Victoria Foundation
Since 2007 the vessel has been managed by Nao Victoria Foundation

The only full-scale replica of the first ship to circumnavigate the globe is visiting Dover.

The Nao Victoria, commanded by Juan Sebastian Elcano, left Seville in 1519 and returned in 1522 after a journey across the globe.

The original vessel was lost at sea in the 1570s, but the replica, which was built in Spain in 1991, will be open to visitors when it docks in Dover on Friday for 10 days.

It was one of five ships, dubbed the Spice Army, to attempt the maritime feat, but was the only one to complete the journey.

Since 2007 the vessel has been managed by Nao Victoria Foundation.

A spokesperson said: "Sailing the Nao Victoria to Dover is a truly epic event.

"We are talking about the world's only seaworthy replica of the ship that accomplished the greatest maritime feat of all time."

Diederik Smet, civic engagement and partnership manager at the Port of Dover said: "It's amazing to have another iconic tall ship coming to the Port for the second summer in a row.

"The Galeón Andalucía was hugely popular with our local community in 2025, so we are delighted that they can be immersed in the inspiring story of another piece of maritime history here in Dover once again."

The ship has visited Kent previously when it docked at Chatham in 2024.

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