In 1527, John III dispatched a Portuguese ship under Diogo Botelho Pereira to scour the South African coast, from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Correntes, in search for the remains of the ship of Luís de Menezes. Returning Portuguese ships had reported that they had seen from the distance cross-shaped fires along that stretch of coast, which they presumed were erected by shipwrecked Portuguese sailors. It was immediately assumed they were the remnant of Luís de Menezes's crew. However, after months of searching, Diogo Botelho found no trace of them.
