How Did Ferdinand Magellan Discovered the Pacific Ocean? Ferdinand Magellan's expedition to discover a westward route to the Spice Islands led to the first recorded European sighting of the Pacific Ocean. In 1519, Magellan, a Portuguese explorer sailing under the Spanish flag, set out from Seville with five ships: Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepción, Victoria, and Santiago. His mission was to find a passage through the Americas to reach Asia. For months, Magellan's fleet sailed along the eastern c