The command of this expedition would be entrusted to Miguel de Noronha, 4th Count of Linhares, for which he was appointed Capitán General del Mar Océano, but he eventually declined to lead the fleet as he did not trust in the success of the expedition. García Álvarez de Toledo, 6th Marquis of Villafranca also rejected its command, but not the Count of Torre, Dom Fernando de Mascarenhas, former Portuguese governor of Tangier. The same day that the French siege of Hondarribia was lifted, he was given the command of 41 ships, of which 23 were Portuguese and were commanded by Admiral Dom Francisco Melo de Castro and Vice Adm. Dom Cosme Couto de Barbosa, and 18 were Castilian under Admiral Juan de la Vega y Bazán and Vice Adm. Francisco Díaz de Pimienta. 5,000 soldiers of infantry were embarked aboard this ships. Half of them were of the Tercio de Anfibios, a unit specialized in the naval fighting. The fleet stopped at the islands of Cape Verde, where an epidemic struck the crews of the ships, resulting in the death of 3,000 men and a number plus larger of incapacitated at the arrival of the fleet to Salvador da Bahia. Mascarenhas, ignoring his orders for an immediate assault upon Recife, spent about a year in the town before set sail again, which was done in January 1640 with the intention of land 1,200 soldiers under Luís Barbalho Bezerra to reinforce the Portuguese guerrilla surrounding the Dutch garrison of Pernambuco.

Question: How many people did not trust the success of the expedition?
Answer: 2

Question: How many ships were not Portuguese?
Answer: 18

Question: How many of the 5000 men survived?
Answer: 2000

Question: Out of the 5000 soldiers of infantry, how many survived?
Answer: 2000

Question: How many of the 41 ships were not Portuguese?
Answer: 18

Question: Which happened first, Mascarenhas ignoring his orders or the siege of Hondarribia being lifted?
Answer: siege of Hondarribia was lifted

Question: What happened first: siege of Hondarribia was lifted or epidemic struck the crews?
Answer: siege of Hondarribia was lifted

Question: What happened second: siege of Hondarribia was lifted or epidemic struck the crews?
Answer: epidemic struck the crews

Question: What was Miguel de Noronha's title?
Answer: 4th Count of Linhares

Question: How many of the 41 ships were not Portuguese?
Answer: 18

Question: Who served as Capitán General del Mar Océano after Miguel de Noronha?
Answer: Dom Fernando de Mascarenhas

Question: Which post did Dom Fernando de Mascarenhas serve in first, Portuguese governor of Tangier, or Capitán General del Mar Océano?
Answer: Portuguese governor of Tangier

Question: Where did the fleet go first, Cape Verde or Salvador da Bahia?
Answer: Cape Verde

Question: Which two men turned down commanding the expedition?
Answer: Miguel de Noronha

Question: Which were there more ships of, Portuguese or Castilian?
Answer: Portuguese

Question: How many more of the ships were Portuguese compared to Castilian?
Answer: 5

Question: Which result was there more of because of the epidemic that struck the crews of ships, death or incapacitated?
Answer: incapacitated

Question: Who all declined the command of the expedition?
Answer: Miguel de Noronha

Question: What all nationalities did the ships belong?
Answer: Portuguese

Question: Who all commanded the ships that Count of Torre as given the command of?
Answer: Castro