ELCANO, Juan Sebastian (elcah'no), Spanish navigator, born in Guetaria, Spain, in 1476 ; died at sea, 4 August 1526. In his early life he was captain of a vessel trading to the Levant and Africa. On 15 August 1519, he sailed from San Lucar, in command of the" Victoria," one of the five ships of Magellan's fleet, which had been sent to discover a western passage to the Spice or Molucca islands, and was with that navigator, 21 October 1520, at the discovery of the strait afterward called by his name. After the death of Magellan, and that of his successor, Carabello, and the destruction of most of the fleet, Elcano, with the only surviving ship, continued his voyage toward the Moluccas, and, after having established friendly relations with one of the native sovereigns+sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, and returned to San Lucar on 6 September 1522.

Elcano was the first seaman who ever made the complete circuit of the globe. Elcano contributed to the establishment of a Spanish factory in the Island of Lidor, and explored several other islands. When he returned to Spain, Charles V received him with distinction and gave him a pension, and a coat-of-arms bearing the inscription " Primus circumdedisti me." On 25 July 1525, Elcano sailed again from Spain, in a second expedition under command of Garcia Loaiza, and, after making some explorations on the eastern coast of South America, passed again through Magellan's strait, 26 May 1526. Loaiza died on 30 July and Elcano succeeded him, but did not long survive him.