Luís Vaz de Torres

Lore & Background

Luís Vaz de Torres first entered the historical record as the nominated commander of the second ship in an expedition to the Pacific proposed by Portuguese-born navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, searching for Terra Australis. The three ships left Callao in Spanish Peru on 21 December 1605, with Torres in command of the San Pedrico. In May 1606, they reached the New Hebrides (Vanuatu), where Queirós named the group La Austrialia del Espiritu Santo. After six weeks, Queirós' ship became separated in bad weather—actually a mutiny—and sailed to Acapulco, leaving Torres in command.

Torres opened sealed orders from the Viceroy of Peru, which gave Torres command of the expedition. On 26 June 1606, he set sail for Manila with two ships. Contrary winds forced a route along the south coast of New Guinea. Over two months, the expedition made landfalls, sailed along the area of Milne Bay, and had contact with indigenous people, capturing a number of individuals (accounts vary on the exact count). Torres then navigated the 150-kilometre strait now named after him, possibly through Endeavour Strait, and would have seen Cape York, though he never claimed to have sighted the southern continent. He reached Ternate in January 1607 and Manila on 22 May 1607.

Torres intended to present captives and a detailed account to the king, but was told his ships and men were required locally. He wrote a report to Queirós, which no longer survives. The official account was written by Diego de Prado and signed by Torres and others on 6 June 1608. After that, Torres and his crew disappear from the historical record. His discoveries were filed away in Spanish archives until seen by British hydrographer Alexander Dalrymple between 1762 and 1765, who passed information to Joseph Banks and likely to James Cook.

Reader's Guide

Torres' navigation of the strait that now bears his name was a landmark achievement in European exploration of the Pacific, proving that New Guinea was not part of the sought-after southern continent. His voyage demonstrated the existence of a sea passage between Australia and New Guinea, though he never claimed to have sighted Australia itself. The expedition's charts and accounts, particularly those by Diego de Prado, provided crucial geographic knowledge that later influenced British explorers, including James Cook.

Despite his significance, Torres remains a shadowy figure. No contemporary depiction of his face or person exists, and his origins are inferred from crew reports calling him a 'Breton' (Galician). His birth year is estimated around 1565, and his fate after 1608 is unknown. The official manuscript of the voyage was lost for centuries, resurfacing in the 19th century and eventually acquired by the State Library of New South Wales in 1932, where it went on public display in 1997. Torres' legacy is thus tied to a single, remarkable voyage that opened a key maritime route, yet his personal story remains largely untold.

Did You Know?

• Torres was recorded as being called a 'Breton' by crewmen, pointing to an origin in Galicia, Spain.
• The strait he navigated is 150 kilometres (93 miles) wide and now bears his name.
• Torres never claimed to have sighted the Australian mainland, though he likely saw Cape York.
• The official account of his voyage was signed on 6 June 1608, after which Torres disappears from history.