Bartolomeu Dias
The first known European to have sailed around Africa's southernmost tip, Bartolomeu de Novaes Dias (c. 1450 – 1500), departed from Lisbon with a three-ship flotilla in August 1487.
The expedition replenished their provisions at the Portuguese stronghold on the Gold Coast, then tracked along the coast until violent storms pushed the ships out to sea on 6 January 1488. When they eventually sighted land around Mossel Bay in early February, the vessels had rounded the Cape of Good Hope without sighting it.
The crews became increasingly restive as the ships followed the coast eastward. They had reached the modern-day Great Fish River when Dias was persuaded to turn back on 12 March.
Dias sighted Africa's southernmost point, Cabo das Agulhas and a second cape he named Cabo das Tormentas (Cape of Storms, later renamed Cabo da Boa Esperança or Cape of Good Hope by João II) on the return journey.
After his return, Dias spent some time in West Africa before Manuel I recalled him to serve as a consultant during the preparations for Vasco da Gama's voyage. Dias sailed with da Gama's expedition as far as the Cape Verde Islands, then commanded one of the vessels in Pedro Álvares Cabral's eastbound expedition.
After making the first official discovery of the coast of Brazil in April 1500, on 29 May, the fleet encountered a massive storm at the former Cabo das Tormentas. Four of the thirteen ships, including Dias' command, went down with all hands.
Links to add:
Cape Verde Islands
João II
Manuel I
Pedro Álvares Cabral
