4th Portuguese India Armada ( Gama , 1502 ) The Fourth India Armada was assembled in 1502 on the order of King Manuel I of Portugal and placed under the command of D . Vasco da Gama . It was Gama ' s second trip to India . It was designed as a punitive expedition , targeting Calicut , to avenge the travails of the 2nd Armada and the massacre of the Portuguese factory in 1500 . Along the way , in East Africa , the 4th Armada established a Portuguese factory in Mozambique , made contact and opened trade with the gold entrepot of Sofala and exorted tribute from Kilwa . Once in India , the armada set about attacking Calicut shipping and disrupting trade along much of the Malabar Coast . But the ruling Zamorin of Calicut refused to accede to Portuguese demands , arguing that the violent exactions of the armada exceeded any claims they might have for compensation . The 4th Armada left without bringing the Zamorin to terms and leaving matters unresolved . Before departing , the armada established a crown factory in Cannanore and left behind a small patrol under Vicente Sodré , the first permanent Portuguese fleet in the Indian Ocean . Appointment of Gama . The Second India Armada , commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral , had arrived in Portugal in the summer of 1501 in a terrible shape . Ship and human losses were tremendous , its mission objectives failed . They had failed to establish a factory in Sofala , the outlet of the Monomatapa gold trade in East Africa , and , more worrisomely , opened hostilities with the city - state of Calicut ( " Calecute " , Kozhikode ) , the principal commercial entrepôt of the Kerala spice trade and dominant city - state on the Malabar coast of India . By the time this news was received , the 3rd India Armada under João da Nova had already departed , a commercial expedition unequipped to deal with the hostile turn of events in the Indian Ocean . As a result , King Manuel I of Portugal ordered a new fleet to be assembled , the 4th India Armada , armed to the teeth , with the explicit objective of bringing Calicut to heel . The command of the 4th Armada was offered to Pedro Álvares Cabral . But various factions in the Portuguese court and the Casa da India , opposed Cabral ' s appointment , on the grounds that it was Cabral ' s ' incompetence ' that had created this unhappy situation to begin with . However , Cabral had his own political supporters that could not be ignored . The king tried to compromise by offering Cabral the position of captain - major ( " capitão - mor " ) , but letting it be clearly understood that his command of the fleet would not be absolute , that at least one squadron would be placed under the separate command of Vicente Sodré ( an uncle of Vasco da Gama , and leading opponent of Cabral ) . Finding this condition an unacceptable affront , Cabral withdrew his name in a huff . Manuel I immediately appointed Vasco da Gama himself as captain - major . The intrigues behind the appointment have been variously told . By some accounts , the initial offer to Cabral was a " pro forma " gesture to palliate his faction rather than an earnest offer . In other words , the king never had any intention of letting Cabral lead the expedition , that the onerous conditions were introduced knowing Cabral would find them unacceptable . That these conditions were only revealed at the last minute , just before the fleet ' s departure , lends credence to the theory , i . e . the monarch did not want to give Cabral time to reconsider or allow opposition to mount against Gama ' s rapid appointment . Chronicler Gaspar Correia tells a slightly different story - he does not mention Sodré ' s command , but rather relates how King Manuel I summoned Vasco da Gama a mere three days before the scheduled departure date and expressed his " disappointment and mistrust " of Cabral ' s " dubious fortune " at sea . , but that he had made a promise to Cabral and could not break it . On this hint , Gama produced a royal letter ( issued by Manuel back in 1500 , and reiterated in October 1501 ) , promising Gama a determining role in any future India expedition , and demanded command of the expedition for himself . The king was caught between two commitments - honoring the letter to Gama , or his appointment to Cabral . Hearing of the king ' s quandary , Cabral voluntarily withdrew his name to graciously allow Manuel I to honor his letter . The 16th - century chroniclers seem to agree that King Manuel I wanted to deprive Cabral of command , and that the Sodré appointment and / or the Gama letter was just a ploy by the king to wiggle out of appointing Cabral . But some later authors have interpreted the accounts differently , that King Manuel I was wholly behind Cabral , but was forced to yield to the unsavory machinations of the Gama - Sodré family . Just before his departure , in a solemn ceremony at the Lisbon Cathedral on January 30 , 1502 , King Manuel I bestowed upon Vasco da Gama the newly created title of " Almirante dos mares de Arabia , Persia , India e de todo o Oriente " ( " Admiral of the Seas of Arabia , Persia , India and all the Orient " ) - an overwrought title reminiscent of the ornate Castilian title borne by Christopher Columbus . ( Evidently , Manuel must have reckoned that if Castile had an ' Admiral of the Seas ' running around , then surely Portugal should have one too . ) On a side note , this was the first India armada for which the " vintena de Belém " was introduced - that is , the 5 % tax on profits of private trading by captains and officers of Portuguese India Armadas , earmarked for the construction and maintenance of the Jerónimos Monastery in the Belém district of Lisbon . The " vintena " would continue until 1522 . The Fleet . The 4th Armada was composed of 20 ships and between 800 and 1800 men . The Armada was originally envisaged as two squadrons - 15 ships under the admiral to head to India , 5 under the vice - admiral designated to patrol the mouth of the Red Sea . As it turns out , not all ships were ready by the launch date , so the armada was re - arranged into three squadrons , the first two squadrons ( 10 under admiral Vasco da Gama , 5 under his uncle , vice - admiral Vicente Sodré ) to head out at once , and the five remaining ships to go out a little while later as a third squadron under Gama ' s cousin , Estêvão da Gama , with instructions to catch up to the main fleet along the way . ( Whatever the mechanics behind the appointment , the 4th Armada certainly turned out to be a Gama family affair ! ) The exact composition of the three squadrons differs in the various accounts . The following list of ships should not be regarded as authoritative , but a tentative list compiled from various conflicting accounts . [ This list of captains is principally based on João de Barros ' s " Décadas " , Damião de Gois ' s " Chronica " , Castanheda ' s " História " , the " Relação das Náos " , Couto ' s list , Faria e Sousa ' s " Asia " and Quintella ' s " Annaes da Marinha " . The list of ship names is from Gaspar Correia ' s " Lendas da Índia " . and should be suspected as unreliable . The most famous ship in the Fourth Armada was arguably the one commanded by Estevão da Gama , the " Flor de la Mar " ( sometimes spelled as " Frol de la Mar " ) , a 400 tonne carrack ( " nau " ) , the largest ship of that kind yet built . The exact sizes of the other large carracks - the flagship " São Jerónimo " , " Lionarda " and the " Leitoa " / " Esmeralda " are unknown , but also presumed to be quite sizeable ( that is , 250t or greater ) . These large ships were designated to return with spice cargo back to Lisbon . The smaller naus ( " navetas " , 80 - 120t ) and caravels ( 40 - 80t ) , went out as armed fighting ships , to remain as naval patrol vessels in India if necessary . The Gama clan dominated the fleet - Vasco da Gama , his cousin Estêvão da Gama and his uncles Vicente Sodré and Brás Sodré took the leadership positions . We have assumed Pêro de Ataíde , to be the same person nicknamed ' o Inferno ' ( ' Hell ' ) , a notable veteran captain of Cabral ' s Second Armada . But in some accounts , his name is given as ' Álvaro de Ataíde ' a native of the Algarve , thus possibly Vasco da Gama ' s new brother - in - law ( Gama had recently married Catarina de Ataíde in 1500 or 1501 ; she had a brother by that name ) . Lopo Mendes de Vasconcellos was a soon - to - be brother - in - law ( betrothed to Teresa da Gama , Vasco ' s sister ) . Among the remaining captains , the most significant was probably " Dom " Luís Coutinho , son of the Count of Marialva , a high nobleman of considerable rank in the Portuguese court . Diogo Fernandes Correia ( archaically , Corrêa ) was pre - designated by the Casa da India as the factor for Cochin ( replacing the factor Gonçalo Gil Barbosa that Cabral had left there ) . Two ships went out under Italian captains - Tommasio da Cremona ( ' Thomas de Carmona ' ) and Giovanni Buonagrazia ( ' João da Bonagracia ' ) of Florence and likely to be outfitted in collaboration with Italian consortiums ( although Buonagrazia ' s ship is identified as formally belonging to Ruy Mendes de Brito , a gentleman of the royal chamber Lopo Dias is identified by Barros as an employee of D . Álvaro of Braganza , who had privately outfitted ships in earlier armadas in conjunction with the Marchionni consortium , so there is reason to presume Dias ' s ship was outfitted the same way . The " Leitoa Nova " is said to have been privately outfitted by the powerful nobleman Tristão da Cunha in conjunction with the mysterious Lisbon merchant - woman Catarina Dias de Aguiar Aboard the ships , as passengers , were Gaspar da Gama ( the Goese Jew brought by Gama ' s first journey , who had also served as translator in the Cabral armada ) , an ambassador from the Kolathiri Raja of Cannanore and one of two noble Cochinese hostages taken inadvertently by Cabral ' s Second India Armada back to Lisbon ( the other Cochinese hostage elected to stay in Lisbon , dispatching a letter to Trimumpara Raja , prince of Cochin relating the useful role he might serve Cochin by remaining behind in the Portuguese court . ) There were two Italian passengers on the armada - both military engineers , and probably secret Venetian agents - that would play a sinister role in India . They were known by their Portuguese names as João Maria ( Gianmaria ) and Pêro António ( Pierantonio ) . The 4th Armada is unusually blessed with multiple eyewitness accounts to supplement the standard chronicles : ( 1 ) an account by an anonymous Flemish sailor aboard the " Leitoa Nova " in the second squadron , ( 2 ) an account by anonymous Portuguese sailor ; ( 3 ) a brief account by an anonymous German sailor ; ( 4 ) a detailed account by Thomé Lopes , clerk of the ship of Giovanni Buonagrazia in the third squadron ; ( 5 ) two letters dispatched from Mozambique in April 1503 by an Italian agent Matteo da Bergamo , who , by deduction , was travelling on T . Carmona ' s ship ( 6 ) letters dispatched from Lisbon by Italian agents Francesco Corbinelli and Giovanni Francesco Affaitati drawn from interviews with the newly returning crews in August 1503 . The mission . The principal mission of the 4th Armada was to settle scores with the Zamorin of Calicut . This was not a diplomatic mission , but a military one . The armada was to avenge the Zamorin ' s mistreatment of Cabral and the massacre of the Portuguese in the Calicut factory ( see 2nd India Armada for details ) . The Fourth Armada did not set out with enough manpower to conquer Calicut outright . Rather , they expected a strong show of force was enough to intimidate the Zamorin into compliance . They would do this by cutting off Calicut ' s lifeline - its trade . In the pre - launch plans , the first squadron under Vasco da Gama was supposed to set up a naval blockade of Calicut harbor and prevent the entry of any ships , while the second squadron of Vicente Sodré was to patrol the Gulf of Aden and bottle up Arab shipping in the Red Sea . This , it was thought , would be enough to bring the Zamorin to his knees and sue for terms . The terms envisaged was for the Zamorin to make amends for the factory and restore the Portuguese trade on the Malabar coast ( Gama was under instructions to accept nothing less than a fixed price guarantee this time ) . The Zamorin would also be obliged to prosecute those they identified as the intriguers behind the massacre and expel all Arab merchants from any and all ports under Calicut ' s sway . The armada is said by the chroniclers to have been given explicit instructions to establish factories ( " feitorias " ) in Cochin and Cannanore , Calicut ' s rival cities on the Malabar coast of India , which had opened good relations with Cabral . However , we know of only one designated crown factor carried by the Fourth Armada - Diogo Fernandes Correia . This has led some historians to suspect that maybe this was only a back - up plan at best . In other words , that it was envisaged that once the quarrel with the Zamorin was resolved , Portuguese operations would be centered on Calicut again , with Diogo Fernandes Correia as factor there , and that the other smaller cities , with their smaller markets , would just fade again into the background . Finally , the Fourth Armada was instructed to open trade with the East African city - state of Sofala . Sofala had been secretly visited by the explorer Pêro da Covilhã during his overland expedition back in 1487 , and he identified it as the end - point of the Monomatapa gold trade . The Portuguese crown had been eager to tap that gold source , but all prior armadas had failed to find it until Sancho de Tovar , commanding a ship of the 2nd India Armada , had finally located Sofala the previous year , but he only saw it from afar and did not go ashore . It seems that every ship in this armada was issued explicit royal instructions to try to trade for gold in Sofala . Outward Journey . February 10 , 1502 Two squadrons of the Fourth Armada - 10 ships under admiral Vasco da Gama and 5 ships under vice - admiral Vicente Sodré - set out from Lisbon . Late February , 1502 - Fleet anchors in Senegal ( either at " Porto de Ale " ( Sali Portudal ) or " Bezeguiche " ( Bay of Dakar ) ) to take water . It is reported in one chronicle that Fernan d ' Atouguia , captain of the " Leitoa Nova " falls ill and dies here . Gama transfers the experienced captain Pedro Afonso de Aguiar from the small nau " Santa Elena " to the large nau " Leitoa Nova " , and elevates one of his own companions , Pêro de Mendonça , to captain Aguiar ' s old ship . Early March , 1502 - The Fourth Armada sails southwest from Africa and may make a brief watering stop at Cape St . Augustine ( Brazil ) , before heading across the south Atlantic towards the Cape of Good Hope . April 1 , 1502 The third squadron of the Fourth Armada - five ships under Estêvão da Gama - finally sets out from Lisbon . Charting its own course , the third squadron will only catch up with the main body of the Fourth Armada in India . April – May , 1502 Violent storms at the Cape separates the fifteen ships of Vasco da Gama ' s fleet . Each captain is forced to figure out his own passage around the Cape , and make his own way towards the pre - arranged rendez - vous point on the other side . May , 1502 After making watering stops in Madeira and Cape Verde , Estevão da Gama ' s third squadron reportedly spots an island in the south Atlantic . Uncertain which one - could be a Cape Verde island or the Penedo de São Pedro ( islets off the Brazilian coast ) or even as far as the islands of Trindade and Martim Vaz ( further south ) , but does not stop to investigate . ( By coincidence , that very same month , the returning Third Armada of João da Nova discovers the island of Saint Helena ; despite the timing , the returning fleet will not encounter any of the ships of the outward armada . But they will pick up letters Nova left behind in Malindi , probably describing his outgoing journey and the latest news from India ) June 7 , 1502 - The third squadron of Estevão da Gama is caught in a terrible storm around the Cape and splits into two groups - Estevão da Gama ( " Flor " ) and the ships of Lopo Dias and Thomaz de Carmona ( with Bergamo on board ) hold together as a trio , while Lopo Mendes de Vasconcellos ( " Julia " ) and the ship of Buonagrazia ( with Lopes on board ) form a separate pair . Contact with Sofala , Factory in Mozambique . c . June 10 , 1502 - Chronicles differ on what exactly happens after the first squadrons double the Cape . Following the account of Gaspar Correia ( p . 272 ) , Vasco da Gama was the among the first ships to arrive in Mozambique Island , the pre - arranged meeting point . Gama is immediately recognized by the local sheikh ( with whom Gama had a tussle on his first journey back in 1498 ) . The Mozambique ruler immediately offers his pardon for that affair and puts supplies at the disposal of the tempest - tossed Portuguese . Vasco da Gama remains in Mozambique for a while , waiting for the rest of the battered fleet to trickle in , one by one . The only known loss is the small nau " Santa Elena " , captained by the novice Pêro de Mendonça , which captured by bad currents around Cape Correntes , ends up running aground near the banks of Sofala . However the crew is safely rescued by the passing ships of Francisco da Cunha Mareco ( " Bretoa " ) and Fernão Rodrigues Bardaças ( " Santa Marta " ) . With surfeit of crew from the capsized " Santa Elena " , Gama orders the construction of a whole new caravel from scratch on Mozambique Island . [ Although not mentioned in all sources , the caravel of António do Campo ( ' Antão Vaz ' in Correia ) , is said to have been badly battered at Cape Correntes , and drifted backwards into Delagoa Bay ( Maputo ) . Campo will not rejoin the 4th Armada on time for the Indian Ocean crossing , and thus remain stuck in Africa until next year . See below . ] According to Correia , while repairing on Mozambique Island , Vasco da Gama dispatches Pedro Afonso de Aguiar ( captain of the " Leitoa " ) and two caravels south to the city of Sofala , the entrepot of the Monomatapa gold trade . Sofala had been missed by all prior armadas , but not this time . Following up on the scout report of Sancho de Tovar from the previous year ( see 2nd India Armada ) , Aguiar leads the first Portuguese ships into Sofala harbor . Aguiar goes ashore , initiates some trade in the local markets while seeking out the local ruler , the sultan or shiekh Isuf of Sofala ( " Yçuf " in Barros ; " Çufe " in Goes ) . An audience is arranged and Aguiar draws up a commercial and alliance treaty between Portugal and Sofala . Matters settled and gifts exchanged , Aguiar takes aboard a Sofalese ambassador to meet Vasco da Gama back in Mozambique . [ In other accounts , ( principally Osório ( p . 192 ) , mildly corroborated by other chroniclers and the anonymous Portuguese eyewitness and Matteo da Bergamo ) it is Vasco da Gama himself , and not Aguiar , who goes to Sofala . According to this alternative account , Gama did not go to Mozambique immediately after the Cape crossing ; rather , most of the fleet met at some unnamed bay just a few leagues north of Sofala ( possibly the ' Rio dos Boms Sinaes ' ) ; Gama ordered Vicente Sodré with the main fleet ahead to Mozambique Island , while he remained behind The construction of the new caravel was thus overseen by Sodré , not Gama . After accounting for all the ships and sending them on to Mozambique , Vasco da Gama himself sailed south with four ships to Sofala , conducted some trade and opened the first contact with the Sofalese ruler . That would mean Gama was the last to arrive in Mozambique . In this alternative account , the lost ship of Mendonça ( or Fernandes ) was one of the four that went with Gama to Sofala , and capsized while exiting the Sofala banks . ] [ A possible reconciliation of both versions may be that Gama did go to Sofala , but did not actually enter the city itself , but limited himself to try to trade for gold with Sofalese merchants by the outer sandbanks of the Sofala estuary , and later on ( after arriving in Mozambique ) instructed Aguiar to go back and venture inside the city . ] Late June , 1502 - Vasco da Gama makes arrangements to leave Mozambique . A Portuguese factory is established on Mozambique Island , with Gonçalo Baixo as the factor , with some ten assistants , to capitalize on the results of the Sofala trade mission . The new caravel finished , Gama christens it " Pomposa " and places it , together with some 30 crew , under the command of João Serrão ( of future Magellan fame ) , with instructions to take any goods from the Sofalese trade . [ According to Correia , Gama was unwilling to wait around for the results of Aguiar ' s mission to Sofala , and set sail out of Mozambique before Aguiar ' s returned from Sofala . As a result , Aguiar was forced to leave the Sofalese ambassador in Mozambique ( letting him find his own way back home ) and set sail for Malindi , hoping to catch Gama there . ] Extortion of Kilwa . Gama had gone first to Kilwa ( " Quiloa " ) . The dominant city - state on the East African coast , Kilwa Sultanate was the formal overlord of Mozambique and Sofala . If the fledgling Portuguese trade presence in those East African towns was to remain unmolested , then the Portuguese must secure Kilwa ' s consent . Cabral and the 2nd Armada had tried , and failed , to secure a treaty with Kilwa back in 1500 . Gama decided to try again - and was determined not to take no for answer . But , mindful of the lesson at Calicut , Gama also wanted to add a touch of intimidation , to show off his heavily - armed fleet and impress upon the Sultan of Kilwa the consequences of interfering or turning back on any agreement . July 12 , 1502 - Gama ' s large , menacing armada arrives at the island - city of Kilwa . Gama sends for the Kilwa ruler , Emir Ibrahim , inviting him aboard the " São Jeronimo " , to negotiate a treaty of peace and trade . Sensing a trap , Emir Ibrahim first asks for a safe - conduct ( which da Gama promptly gives him ) , but fearing treachery , the emir changes his mind , and refuses to go aboard . However , after much discussion , one of his advisors , a certain wealthy nobleman Muhammad ibn Rukn ad Din ( called Muhammad Arcone or Ancone or Enconij by the chroniclers ) finally persuades the emir to take up the Portuguese offer . Emir Ibrahim is ferried to the flagship and climbs aboard . After minimal opening cordialities , and ostentatious proclamations of friendship , Gama lays down his price : a treaty with Portugal has to be paid for with a hefty cash tribute to the King of Portugal . The emir is dismayed . Declaring tribute to be a dishonor , he refuses . Gama threatens to level the city and lay it to fire and waste . Emir Ibrahim , effectively captive on board , reluctantly agrees , and signs a treaty making Kilwa tributary to Portugal . Leaving the Kilwan nobleman and advisor Muhammad Arcone aboard as a hostage , the emir returns to shore to make the arrangements . mid - July , 1502 - After a few days of lingering in Kilwa harbor and no sign of the emir ' s promised tribute , Gama dispatches a messenger to see what the delay is . Emir Ibrahim sends a message back declining to dispatch the tribute , and telling the Portuguese captain - major that he can do whatever he will with the hostage Muhammad Arcone , given that his poor counsel had proven him unworthy . The angry Gama throws Arcone into a long - boat , without water or shade , to die of heat and exposure . Nonetheless , Muhammad Arcone is a wealthy man in his own right , and servants from his household offer Gama a substantial ransom to release him . Knowing the hostage is otherwise worthless to him , Gama consents . July 20 , 1502 - His vengeance on Muhammad Arcone ' s bad counsel satisfied , the Emir Ibrahim of Kilwa finally decides to send some tribute - some 1500 gold " meticals " - to satisfy the Portuguese captain - major . Vasco da Gama , anxious not to miss the monsoon winds to India , takes what he can get . [ The extorted gold coins of Kilwa were used by the goldsmith Gil Vicente in 1506 to make the famous gold pyx or monstrance known as the " Custódia de Belém " , for the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém . It is considered by many to be one the most magnificent treasure pieces of the Portuguese crown . ] [ Correia ( p . 282 ) reports a little knot before departing : several dozen Kilwan women ' picked up ' ( read : abducted ) and taken aboard the ships by bored Portuguese sailors for fun and amusement refuse to return ashore . Although Emir Ibrahim promises that they will be unharmed , he cannot guarantee that those who allowed themselves to be baptized Christian by enthusiastic chaplains on the ships will be taken back by their families . Much to the delight of the crew , Gama reluctantly allows these to come with them . ] c . July 15 , 1502 In the meantime , part of the third squadron , the trio that held with Estêvão da Gama ( Gama , Dias , Carmona ) arrive at Mozambique Island , half - famished and heavily damaged . At that same time , the remaining pair ( Vasconcellos , Buonagrazia ) alight at the Sofala banks . The two squads do not reconnect with each other . Estêvão da Gama ' s trio , following the itinerary left in Mozambique by his cousin , heads off to Kilwa Alone idling before Sofala , Vasconcellos and Buonagrazia proceed north to the mouth of the " Rio de Bons Sinaes " ( Zambezi River ) , where they put in for repairs and recuperation . July 23 , 1502 Part of the third squad ( Estêvão da Gama , Lopo Dias and Thomas de Carmona ) arrive in Kilwa , just in time to reconnect the main armada of Vasco da Gama , preparing to depart fom Kilwa harbor . At that moment ( July 22 actually ) , the remaining two ships of the third squad ( Vasconcellos , Buonagrazia ) finally arrive in Mozambique Island . Taking note of the notes and itinerary left behind , they set sail for Malindi , hoping to catch the main fleet there . Late July , 1502 - Vasco da Gama arrives in Malindi , just in time to be met by Pedro Afonso de Aguiar ( from Sofala ) , who reports to him the results of the Sofala treaty . Gama ' s fleet does not actually dock in Malindi - they intended to , but miss it , landing a few leagues ahead , unable to turn back because of the weather ( although they manage to get some supplies and exchange messages with Malindi emissaries that row out to them ) . July 29 , 1502 - Vasco da Gama ' s fleet departs its anchorage near Malindi for its Indian Ocean crossing . He is missing three ships : Campo , Vasconcelos and Buonagrazia . August 2 , 1502 - The remaining two ships of the third squadron ( Lopo Mendes de Vasconcelos and Giovanni Buonagrazia ) arrive in Malindi , just a few days after Gama ' s departure . They are well received by the Sultan of Malindi . They pick up a few letters left with degredado Luiz da Moura in Malindi by the returning fleet of João da Nova a few months earlier , reporting the latest Indian news . They do not stay long , but immediately set sail after Gama ' s fleet . Campo in Delagoa Bay . The last missing ship - António do Campo ' s caravel from the first squadron - will not make it across to India this year . As already alluded to earlier , the caravel of António do Campo ( ' Antão Vaz ' in Correia ) is said to have been caught up and battered by bad winds at Cape Correntes and forced to drift with the current of the Mozambique Channel aimlessly southwest . Campo ' s caravel is said to have alighted at Delagoa Bay ( now Maputo Bay ) . The hitherto unknown capacious bay is watered by three rivers : the Maputo river to the south , the Espirito Santo ' river ' to the west ( actually an estuary formed by the Umbeluzi , Matola and Tembe rivers ) and the Maniça ( now Incomati ) river to the north . Being told by the local inhabitants that the Espírito Santo ' river ' was sourced from a great lake deep in the interior , Campo names it " Rio da Lagoa " ( River of the Lagoon ) , from which we get the name by which Maputo Bay was long known : ' Delagoa Bay ' . Having been forced to linger at Delagoa for repairs , António do Campo hurries north to try to make junction with the rest of the 4th Armada at Malindi , but arrives too late ( mid - September ) . The fleet having already left for India , and the monsoon winds preventing Campo ' s own crossing to India . António do Campo will remain behind on the East African coast until next April . Gama in India . mid - August , 1502 - After its Indian Ocean crossing , the Fourth Armada alights near the opulent port of Dabul ( north of Goa ) . These are the territorial waters of the powerful Muslim sultan Adil Shah ( " Hidalcão " ) of Bijapur . Expecting trouble , the fighting ships hoist up their lateen sails and load up their cannon . But no one comes out to challenge them , so they begin coasting south along the Indian coast towards Kerala . Actions at Onor and Batecala . c . August 20 , 1502 Gama ' s fleet reaches Anjediva island . The next day , the ships of Giovanni Buonagrazia ( carrying Thomé Lopes ) and Lopo Mendes de Vasconcellos ( " Juiloa " ) finally catch up with the rest of the armada . Save for the ship of Campo ( still stuck in Africa ) and Serrão ( on patrol around the Mozambique factory ) , all the Portuguese fleet ( 18 ships out of the 20 that left Lisbon ) are together and accounted for . Around Anjediva island , the armada spots three boats belonging to Timoja , the Hindu privateer who operates out of Honnavar ( " Onor " ) , on the frontline between the warring states of Muslim Bijapur and Hindu Vijayanagar . They give chase unto the mouth of the Sharavathi River , at which point the pirate boats slip into harbor of Onor . Assured by Gaspar da Gama ( Goese Jew and translator ) that Onor is a corsair ' s nest , Vasco da Gama orders an attack on the city . Portuguese landing crews attack the harbor , plundering and setting fire to the ships and docks . The day after the raid on Onor , the Fourth Armada arrives at the mouth of the river that leads up to the city of Bhatkal ( " Batecala " ) , south of Onor . Perceiving what he considers hostile gestures from shore , the captain - major dispatches his cousin , Estêvão da Gama upriver to the town to investigate . Surveying the Batecala docks , Estêvão spies several Arab merchant ships and prepares for hostilities . But his attention is soon drawn to a small group of men in ornate robes , rushing down to the docks , frantically calling to him . It is an embassy from the raja of Batecala , requesting an immediate audience with the Portuguese captain - major . Estêvão brings the embassy to his cousin . Evidently hearing of the fate of Onor , the embassy offers to submit to the Portuguese . Vasco da Gama agrees to leave Batecala in peace in return for a yearly tribute of 1 , 000 bags of plain rice and 500 bags of quality rice ( probably Basmati ) . Batecala is also to agree to the exclusion of the Arab merchants from the city , that no pepper trade is to be carried at this port , and that no ship be allowed to travel between Batecala and Calicut . The treaty is set down in writing and signed . [ Batecala is described by Correia as just a modest rice , iron and sugar port south of Onor ; it was actually the principal port and sea outlet of the Vijayanagara Empire , and its primary line was the horse trade , specifically , importing large numbers of splendid Persian and Arabian horse s for the armies of Vijayanagara princes . ] Massacre of the Pilgrim Ship . Late August / Early September 1502 - Business in Batecala done , Vasco da Gama sets sail towards Cannanore . They anchor in around Mount d ' Eli , the common touch - point for ships on the Jedda - Calicut route , evidently intending to catch some prizes before proceeding . September 29 , 1502 - After prowling around Mt . d ' Eli for nearly a month with little success ( they captured only one minor ship ) , captain Gil Matoso ( on the " São Gabriel " ) , spots a large merchant ship carrying Muslim pilgrims returning from Mecca ( or going to it , chronicles contradict ) . The ship , the " Miri " , is identified as belonging to a certain al - Fanqi , one of wealthier men of Calicut and said by some to be the Mecca n factor in Calicut . Matoso chases the pilgrim ship down , which surrenders rather quickly , probably imagining that its master had enough money to ransom it off . But Vasco da Gama shrugs off all the offers . As the Portuguese crew plunder the ship and transfer its cargo , it quickly becomes evident that Gama intends to burn the ship with all its passengers - men , women and children - on board . When Gama proves deaf to their pleas for mercy , the passengers frantically attack the Portuguese men - at - arms with their bare hands . To no avail . October 3 , 1502 - a day , eyewitness Thomé Lopes states , " I will never forget for the rest of my days " . The pilgrim ship thoroughly plundered , on Gama ' s orders , the passengers are locked in the hold and the ship burnt and sunk by artillery . It takes several days to finally go down completely . Portuguese soldiers row around the waters on longboats mercilessly spearing survivors . The sinking of the " Miri " is an act that will instantly cement Gama ' s cruel and fearsome reputation , and generate a great deal of hatred for the Portuguese in India . Gama defended his act as " vengeance " for the Calicut massacre of 1500 , arguing that the ship ' s owner , as a prominent person in Calicut , was ' doubtlessly ' responsible for the sinister counsel to the Zamorin that led up to it . Of the eyewitnesses , all mention it , but only Thomé Lopes openly condemns the act , claiming Gama acted " with great cruelty and without any mercy whatsoever " . The chroniclers do not shy away from describing the event and their unease is evident . Although Barros and Castanheda reiterate Gama ' s justification of the act as revenge for Cabral , they do not seem to embrace it themselves . Indeed , Barros , Góis and Osório claim the ship belonged to the Sultan of Egypt , who was in no way responsible for the events in Calicut , thus subtly suggesting Gama may have made a mistake . Gaspar Correia is a little more open in his disapproval . He notes that several of the Portuguese captains were appalled by Gama ' s decision and tried to persuade him against it ( if only because they would forego a hefty ransom ) . Correia gives a heart - rending account of the desperate and valiant resistance of the doomed passengers . Poet Luís de Camões passes over the incident in silence , evidently feeling it detrimental to the heroic portrait of Vasco da Gama . Estimates of those killed on the " Miri " hover around 300 . Portuguese chroniclers are eager to report that 20 children were spared this fate , and brought back by the 4th Armada to Lisbon , where they will be baptized and raised as friars at the Nossa Senhora de Belém . Among the eyewitnesses Thomé Lopes and the anonymous Flemish sailor make no mention of this small mercy , although Matteo de Bergamo does point it out . Factory in Cannanore . October 18 , 1502 - Vasco da Gama ' s armada finally reaches Cannanore ( " Canonor " , Kannur ) , and delivers the Cannanore ambassador that had gone to Lisbon with Cabral ' s 2nd Armada . The Kolathiri Raja of Cannanore invites Gama to come ashore for an elaborate reception , but Gama replies that he swore a personal oath not to set his foot on Indian soil again until his vengeance on Calicut was sated . As a result , the rajah orders a wooden scaffold to be built over the seashore , where they can meet in person without violating the vow . Gama presents the raja with royal letters and munificent gifts ( a jeweled sword , a brocaded armchair ) and discussions immediately begin . A commercial treaty is negotiated , establishing a Portuguese crown factory in Cannanore , and arranging a fixed - price schedule , which the Raja personally guarantees , for the sale of spices to the Portuguese . The negotiation for the commercial treaty did not go smoothly , particularly the fixed price clause . The Kolathiri Raja protested that he had no power over market prices nor the right to dictate how private merchants disposed of their property . Gama had to resort to feints , threats and then sailed out of Cannanore in anger . Barros credits the role of Paio Rodrigues , the Portuguese factor ( private , not crown , an employee of the private employee of D . Álvaro of Braganza and the Marchionni consortium ) , that had been left behind in Cannanore by João da Nova ' s Third Armada at the beginning of the year . After Gama stormed off and ordered sail out of the city , Paio Rodrigues mediated between the Kolathiri Raja and the Captain - Major and finalized the treaty Correia points out this is the treaty where the Portuguese " cartaz " system was first introduced . Henceforth , every merchant ship along the Malabar coast had to present a certificate signed by a Portuguese factor ( in Cannanore , Cochin , etc . ) , or else be subject to attack and seizure by a Portuguese patrol . This licensing system would be subsequently adopted later on other Portuguese - controlled coasts ( e . g . East Africa , Malacca , Brazil ) , with differing degrees of success . It will be largely maintained until the 18th century . Bombardment of Calicut . October 25 , 1502 - Fleet departs Cannanore . Chroniclers differ a little on the subsequent sequence of events . While still in Cannanore , Gama had sent Pedro Afonso de Aguiar to Calicut in advance , with the warning that he had come to settle scores for the mistreatment of Cabral and to get compensation for the overruning of the Calicut factory in 1500 . In response , the Zamorin of Calicut sent back a string of messengers to Cannanore ( and along the way to Calicut ) , each delivering promises that the Zamorin was willing to settle matters with Gama , and compensate the Portuguese for the loss of their factory goods . On the other hand , Gama also receives a message from Gonçalo Gil Barbosa , the Portuguese crown factor in Cochin , warning him that it was all a tactical ruse , that the Zamorin of Calicut had also dispatched a circular letter to all the lords of the Malabar Coast instructing them to close their ports and markets to the Portuguese . October 29 , 1502 - Gama ' s large armada finally arrives before the harbor of Calicut ( " Calecute " , Kozhikode ) . The Zamorin dispatches an emissary , a Brahmin ( dressed as a Christian friar ) on a boat to Gama . The Brahmin reports that the Zamorin had arrested twelve of those responsible for the 1500 riot , and offers a peace and friendship treaty and the opening of a discussion of the restoration of the trade goods seized from the Portuguese factory , albeit noting that the Zamorin has also suffered property damages from Portuguese actions and that he intends to deduct it from the final account . Gama is angered , feeling that the Zamorin has changed his tone from his earlier messages , and demands the property taken from the factory be restored in full and brought to his ship , and that all Muslim merchants must be expelled from the Calicut , before any discussion about a treaty begins . While awaiting the Zamorin ' s reply , Gama seizes a nearby idling zambuq and some fishing boats that had unwisely ventured into Calicut harbor , taking some fifty fisherman captive . This action evidently angers the Zamorin , who sends a stern reply to Gama , noting that Gama had already taken severalfold times more property from Calicut ships , and slaughtered ten times more of his citizens ( on the " Miri " , etc . ) than the Portuguese lost in the 1500 riot . Despite being the net sufferer and the clamor of his citizens for revenge , the Zamorin is prepared to forgive and forget and start anew . The Zamorin also replies that Calicut is a free port and he has no intention of expelling ' the Moors ' . Moreover , the Zamorin orders Gama to release his ' hostages ' , that he will not subject himself to negotiation conditions and that if Gama is unhappy with his offer , then he should leave Calicut harbor at once , for the Zamorin has not given him permission to anchor there , or at any other port in India . October 31 , 1502 - Infuriated by the reply , Gama sends out a strongly worded ultimatum , declaring that the Zamorin ' s permission means nothing to him , that he has until noon the next day to deliver the Portuguese factory goods to his ship . Gama uses this overnight interlude to send his boats out to sound the harbor of Calicut to find optimal firing positions . That same night , Calicut forces set about frantically digging entrenchments , erecting a protective timber palisade and laying cannon along the harbor shore . November 1 , 1502 - At noon , having received no reply , Gama orders that his Malabari prisoners be strung up by their necks from the shipmasts , allocating a few to each ship . Calicut crowds approach the beach to watch the grisly spectacle . Then the armada advances into the harbor and opens fire . The bombardment is principally aimed at clearing the beach and trenches . The Malabari shore cannons are too few , their range and power too weak , to provide an effective reply . The bombardment continues until nightfall . That night , the corpses of the hung Malabaris are taken from masts , their feet and hands severed off and sent by a small boat to the beach , with an insulting message to the Zamorin , including a demand that the Zamorin reimburse the Portuguese for the powder and shot expended on destroying his city . November 2 , 1502 - The city bombardment resumes the next morning . The mostly poor dwellings on the shore having been razed the previous day , the Portuguese cannons now have a clear view of central city and the statelier homes of the richer citizens of Calicut and bring their larger ordnance to bear . The city is relentlessly bombarded all morning - some 400 large rounds and an indeterminate number from the smaller caliber guns At noon , when the Portuguese pause for lunch , a small group of Malabari vessels tries to attack the idling squad , but are quickly seen off . November 3 , 1502 - Barros reports that the two - day bombardment had sufficiently crippled the city that several of the captains urge Gama to authorize a landing of troops to sack Calicut . But Gama , still hopeful the Zamorin might come to terms , turns down their request , believing a sack would only escalate matters to the point of no return . So , the next morning , vengeance satisfied , Gama sets sail out of Calicut harbor . [ In his somewhat different account , Gaspar Correia does not report the hanging of the prisoners ; instead , " after " the bombardment , while still anchored before the harbor of the smoldering city , the Fourth Armada captures a Coromandel merchant convoy of 2 large ships and 27 small boats unlucky enough to turn up at Calicut at that very moment . Seizing the convoy , Gama orders the cargoes transferred , the crews tied , their teeth beaten out , their noses and hands cut off and the ships set alight . The Brahmin emissary ( still being held by the Portuguese ) is sent back to shore with a bag full of severed hands and a note for the Zamorin telling him to " make a curry out of them " . ] The violent treatment meted out by Vasco da Gama sends shockwaves throughout the Malabar coast . Merchant ships in Indian ports hurriedly leave the area or go into concealment . All shipping along the coast essentially freezes . The Coastal Patrol . Before leaving Calicut , Gama assembles a squadron of five or six fighting ships under Vicente Sodré and his brother Brás Sodré , with some 200 soldiers ( mainly crossbowmen ) , to maintain the blockade on Calicut harbor , and patrol the coast preying on Calicut shipping . The exact composition of the patrol squadron differs in the sources , and it seems there is some reshuffling of captains in the process . The following is only one possible list , compiled from different sources , and should not be taken as authoritative : [ The patrol squadron captains are taken from the lists in Castanheda , Góis and Osório Other sources are not so explicit . The ship names are tentatively deduced from Gaspar Correia , who , as usual , deviates in naming the captains . Cochin , Quilon . November 3 , 1502 His blockade of Calicut in place , Vasco da Gama arrives in Cochin ( " Cohim " , Kochi ) with the bulk of the armada . He is received by Trimumpara ruler of Cochin , not without a touch of anxiety . But cordialities soon set that to rest . The Nair hostage taken accidentally by the 2nd Armada the previous year is delivered , along with the letter of the other Nair who stayed back in Lisbon . Gama concludes negotiates a new commercial treaty with the ruler of Cochin , this time with a fixed - price schedule , like at Cannanore . Diogo Fernandes Correia , the new designated factor for Cochin , relieves Cabral ' s factor Gonçalo Gil Barbosa ( now slated to be transferred to Cannanore ) and sets about his business buying spices for the return journey . While conducting business at Cochin , Vasco da Gama receives a letter from the queen - regent of Quilon ( " Coulão " , Kollam ) , on behalf of her young son , the raja Govardhana Martanda . The queen invites the Portuguese fleet to load up with spices at Quilon . Gama declines politely , noting that he cannot do anything without the permission of his Cochinese hosts . As a result , the queen - regent dispatches a messenger to the prince of Cochin . Trimumpara Raja prevaricates at first , fearing that competition from Quilon ' s more amply - supplied markets will hurt his own . But Cochin ' s slender supply is worrying the Portuguese factors . At length , an agreement is reached between all parties : Gama is to dispatch only two ships to load up with spices at Quilon , and promises not to set up a permanent factory in that city . The two ships , carrying temporary factor João de Sá Pereira , the first Portuguese to enter Quilon , will load up quickly , and return to Cochin within ten days . It is reported that while at Cochin , Gama also receives a message from Syrian Christian community of nearby Cranganore offering to place themselves under the protection of the King of Portugal . Naval Battle of Calicut . December , 1502 - January , 1503 While Vasco da Gama is winding up business in Cochin , and preparing to sail back to Cannanore , Trimumpara Raja of Cochin summons Gama with a piece of disturbing intelligence . The Zamorin of Calicut had hired the services of a Red Sea Arab privateer ' Cojambar ' ( Khoja Ambar ) , who had brought several large Arab ships , and slipped past the Portuguese blockade . The Arab ships have joined a fighting fleet assembling at Calicut , under the command of Calicut admiral ' Coja Casem ' ( Khoja Kassein ) , intending to ambush the Portuguese on the way to Cannanore . The Calicut fleet is estimated at 20 large ships , 40 gun - mounted " sambuk s " ( large dhow s ) and an innumerable number of smaller oar - powered boats , carrying several thousand armed men . Although a large Calicut fleet had failed against the much smaller 3rd Armada of João da Nova the previous year , the Zamorin might have calculated that the addition of the Arab Red Sea ships and more experienced captains might tip the balance - particularly against the heavily loaded and less - maneouverable large naus of the 4th Armada . The Raja of Cochin urges Gama to avoid the fleet and just set sail for Portugal at once . But Vasco da Gama refuses to revise his plans , claiming he needs toreturn to Cannanore to deposit a factor there and pick up a cargo of ginger he had ordered . Nonetheless , he dispatches a message to Vicente Sodré ' s squadron of fighting caravels , then patrolling near Cannanore , to join him in Cochin . While this discussion is going on , a Brahmin arrives in Cochin , with an offer of peace from the Zamorin , proposing to let bygones be bygones and ' restart ' the Calicut - Portuguese relationship afresh . But Gama refuses and accuses the Brahmin of being a spy . Gama has him tortured , mutilated ( ears cut off and dog ear ' s sewn on ) and sent back to Calicut . Early February , 1502 , After a final audience with Raja Trimumpara , taking aboard his ambassador to the Lisbon court , leaving Diogo Fernandes Correia as factor in Cochin , and taking Cabral ' s old factor Gonçalo Gil Barbosa , to serve as factor in Cannanore , Gama ' s fleet ( around ten fully laden ships ) finally leaves Cochin . They are soon joined by Sodré ' s caravel squadron , and set sail warily towards Cannanore , guns ready for the Calicut ambush . Gama and Sodré spot the Calicut fleet of Coja Casem and Arab privateer Cojambar , near the coast , out of Calicut harbor . In one of the first recorded instances of a naval line of battle , Gama ' s spice naus and escort caravels sail in a line end - to - end , concentrating all their immense firepower as they pass against the twenty large Arab ships of Cojambar , before they can get organized , sinking a number of them and doing immense damage to the remainder . Although the Arab squadron is out of commission too soon , Coja Casem nonetheless proceeds forward with his fleet of Malabari sambuks , hoping to use their speed to outmaneouver the guns of the heavy - laden naus and reach for the grapple . But Gama sends the escort caravels under Vicente Sodré to intercept them in their tracks , while the cargo naus hurry on toward Cannanore . Although the caravels are outnumbered , it is not much of a battle . The fight is essentially over when Pero Rafael and Gil Matoso quickly board and capture Coja Casem ' s flagship ( oddly , found with a lot of women and children on board ) . The Calicut fleet breaks up and rushes back to port . The pursuing caravels capture a number of sambuks , which they proceed to tow and set on fire before Calicut . The long - prepared ambush has been foiled . Danger dispelled , the caravels proceed to Cannanore to make junction with the main fleet . The Battle of Calicut , like the previous year ' s naval battle of Cannanore , once again demonstrated the critical importance of the technical superiority of Portuguese ships and naval artillery . But it also demonstrated to the Portuguese that the Zamorin of Calicut was not as easy to intimidate as they had expected . Despite the terror actions , the bombardment and the naval blockade , the Zamorin steadfastly refused to capitulate to Vasco da Gama ' s terms . On the contrary , the hiring of an Arab privateer fleet demonstrated a certain resourcefulness and willingness to continue fighting and take the fight to the Portuguese . The hiring of Cojambar was also a foreboding . The Zamorin clearly understood he had to appeal to foreigners to help close the technical gap between Indian and Portuguese forces . Surely it would only be a matter of time before the Zamorin got his hands on Arab , Turkish and Venetian technology , and more substantial support from these great powers than just a Red Sea pirate or two ? If the battle of Calicut impressed something on Vasco da Gama , it was precisely that the Portuguese in India were living on borrowed time , that it was going to take more resources than he had to bring the Zamorin to heel and secure continued Portuguese access to the spice markets . And that was the message he would bring back to Lisbon . In the meantime , his priority was to do everything he could to maintain the Portuguese toe in India - that is , to protect the Portuguese factories and Indian allies of Cochin and Cannanore , from the Zamorin ' s inevitable revenge the moment the 4th Armada left . Return to Cannanore . Arriving in Cannanore , Gama leaves Cabral ' s old factor Gonçalo Gil Barbosa , and two assistants , Bastião Álvares and Diogo Nunes . With the permission of the Kolithiri Raja of Cannanore , Gama erects a small palisade around the factory . Some 200 armed men ( others report merely 20 ) are to remain with the factory . More troubling , however , is the India patrol squadron . Back in Lisbon , Vicente Sodré had been given a commission ( " regimento " ) by king Manuel I of Portugal instructing him to lead a patrol of five or six caravels in the Gulf of Aden , and prey on the rich Arab prizes going in and out of the Red Sea . But Vasco da Gama , realizing the vulnerability of Cochin and Cannanore , invokes rank as captain - major of the armada and orders Sodré to set that mission aside , and maintain his patrol on the Indian coast , to defend the Portuguese factories and their Indian allies against any reaction by the Zamorin . Return Voyage . Late February , 1503 Vasco da Gama sets sail with his ten ( or twelve ) laden ships back to Lisbon . [ Note : some chronicles put Gama ' s departure from Cannanore on December 28 , 1502 , meaning all the events described earlier must be compacted within that shorter time period . ] The return journey is quick and relatively smooth , with only one stop in Mozambique Island . It is caught in a slight storm around the Cape , where Estêvão da Gama ' s " Flor da la Mar " parts company from the rest . Estêvão da Gama , making is way back to Lisbon by himself , is said to have stumbled upon the South Atlantic islands of Saint Helena ( already discovered the previous year by João da Nova ' s Third Armada ) . Vasco da Gama ' s main fleet arrives in Lisbon in September , 1503 . Gama delivers his report , noting his failure to bring the Zamorin of Calicut to terms , and urging the immediate outfitting of a strong fleet to establish strong permanent Portuguese garrisons to protect the allied cities of Cochin and Cannanore . Gama arrives too late to affect the outfitting of the 5th Armada , which had already departed in April , 1503 under the command of Afonso de Albuquerque . But his recommendation will guide the formation of the next one , the 6th Armada , set to sail in the Spring of 1504 under the command of Lopo Soares de Albergaria . Aftermath . Fate of the Sodré patrol . March , 1503 - As soon as Vasco da Gama ' s 4th Armada leaves India , as predicted , Raja Trimumpara of Cochin receives intelligence that the Zamorin of Calicut is at this very moment preparing a landward invasion of Cochin . Portuguese factor Diogo Fernandes Correia urges Vicente Sodré to keep the caravel patrol squadron close to Cochin . But Vicente Sodré , eager for the easy plunder of the Arab Red Sea shipping , dismisses the rumors , Correia reminds him of Gama ' s orders , to no avail - Sodré pulls out his old royal " regimento " and orders the coastal patrol to follow him out to the Red Sea . It is said that at least two of the captains of the coastal patrol refuse Sodré ' s orders , and willingly surrender the command of their ships rather than disobey Gama ' s original orders . The composition of the patrol that set out to the Red Sea varies in different accounts . One arrangement is that it was six ships : 1 . Vicente Sodré , 2 . Brás Sodré , 3 . Pêro de Ataíde , 4 . Pêro Rafael , 5 . Diogo Pires , 6 . Fernão Rodrigues Bardaças . Vicente Sodré first sets out north to Gujarat , where it captures a great merchant ship off Chaul . The patrol then sails west into the Gulf of Aden , at the mouth of the Red Sea , to catch more prizes . About five Arab merchant ships are seized by the patrol there but , according to the account written later by Pêro de Ataíde , the Sodré brothers set about claiming a disproportionate share of the plunder for themselves , including embezzling the royal fifth . In Ataíde ' s account , Brás Sodré appears as the villain of the story . Already unhappy at the decision to abandon their comrades in India , the patrol captains quarreled with the Sodré brothers and nearly mutinied . In late April , the patrol anchored in at Kuria Muria islands ( off the coast of Oman ) . The local inhabitants warned them that a seasonal tempest was forming and that they had better move their ships to a safer shelter on the southern side of the island . Four patrol captains moved their ships accordingly , but Vicente Sodré and Brás Sodré refused ( the ongoing quarrel over the spoils may have been a factor in this decision . ) As the locals predicted , the tempest came , destroyed and sunk the ships of Vicente Sodré and Brás Sodré . Vicente went down with his ship , Brás survived to made it ashore , although he would die soon after in mysterious circumstances In the aftermath , the four remaining ships of the coastal patrol , who elected of Pêro de Ataíde as their new commander , set back for India . However , contrary winds make it a difficult journey , and they inch back only painfully and slowly . The battered patrol hobbles into Angediva island sometime in the summer of 1503 , where they are forced to stop to repair their crippled ships . Four days after arriving in Angediva , a fifth ship , the caravel of António do Campo ( who having missed the previous year ' s monsoon , was forced to stay in East Africa throughout all this ) arrives in Anjediva and joins the patrol . They are still repairing at Angediva when the ships of Francisco de Albuquerque and Nicolau Coelho , the vanguard of the 5th Armada , arrives in India in August , 1503 . First Siege of Cochin . April 1503 – Not long after the Sodré patrol departed for the Red Sea , the Zamorin of Calicut arrived with his 50 , 000 - strong army at " Repelim " ( Edapalli ) , on the boundaries of the Cochinese state . He demanded that the Raja Trimumpara of Cochin hand his Portuguese guests over to him . But Trimumpara refused and his son Narayan repels two Calicut assaults . By bribery and deceit , the Zamorin manages to detach a lot of Cochin ' s army , overwhelms the defenses and kills prince Narayan at a battle near the Edapalli ford . The Trimumpara Raja and his Portuguese guests ( factor Diogo Fernandes Correia and his assistants ) , accompanied by a small loyal Nair guard , abandon Cochin city and flee across the harbor to Vypin , a barrier island of the Vembanad lagoon . Vypin ' s natural defenses and the deteriorating weather prevent the Zamorin from launching assault boats and seizing the island . Frustrated , the Zamorin burns down the city of Cochin . The siege will drag on for several months , until Francisco de Albuquerque , leading the remnant of the Sodré patrol , hurrying down from Angediva , arrived in Cochin in August – September , and forced the Calicut forces to withdraw . Sometime during the course of this siege , the two Italian military engineers ( and probable Venetian agents ) that had come as passengers on Gama ' s ships - known only as João Maria ( Gianmaria ) and Pêro António ( Pierantonio ) - escaped Cochin and made their way to the Zamorin ' camp , offering their services to the army of Calicut . Expert gun - founders , the Italians will teach Calicut to found large European guns and help close the technological gap between Indian and Portuguese artillery . The Zamorin of Calicut , before burning down Cochin , removed an ancient sacred stone , upon which the ancient Kings of Malabar ( see Chera Dynasty ) were traditionally ceremonially esconsed as lords of the sea and overlords of all the Malabari states . The sacred stone had originally been housed at the ancient Malabari capital of Cranganore , but had since been moved to Cochin . The Zamorin now moved it once more , to Edapalli . Sources . Primary accounts : Chronicles : Secondary :