The Loaísa expedition was a 16th-century voyage of discovery to the Pacific Ocean, commanded by Garcia Jofre de Loaísa (1490 – 20 July 1526) and ordered by King Charles I of Spain to colonize the Spice Islands in the East Indies. After an uneventful start the expedition was scattered by bad weather near Cape Horn, leading to the ultimate loss of six of its seven ships. The remaining vessel reached its destination, but the survivors were too few to establish an effective colony and ultimately chose to return to Spain.