By Harold Hisona

Published: August 28, 2010

Failing to hear from the Loaisa Expedition, King Charles I sent another expedition. He put Sebastian Cabot, another famed Italian navigator, in charge. The expedition consisted of four ships and 250 men. The expedition left Seville, Spain, on April 3, 1526. During the trip to South America, Cabot quarreled with his captains. The men had been discontented because of the poor food. They mutinied when the expedition reached Brazil. But Cabot succeeded in suppressing the mutiny and the expedition continued its voyage. Cabot explored the Rio de la Plata (River of Silver) in Argentina and stayed in that region for three years. Cabot thought there was a passage to the Pacific Ocean. The crew was attacked by the hostile Indians, and Cabot eventually lost his flagship. Half of his men perished from famine and disease.

Discouraged by his failure to find the way to the Pacific, Cabot returned to Spain in August 1530. His expedition had been a dismal failure.