The Spanish explorer João da Nova, sailing
for the Portuguese Crown, allegedly discovered the island in 1501, but his
discovery was apparently not registered. Thus, in 1503 when the Portuguese
navigator Afonso de Albuquerque sighted the island on Ascension Day,
in the church calendar, he named it after the feast day. Dry and barren,
it had little appeal for passing ships except for collecting fresh
meat. Mariners could hunt for the numerous seabirds and the
enormous female green turtles that
