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Pirate Facts Main
General History
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Anne Bonny
Bartholomew R.
Beniowski, M.
Edward Teach
Henry Morgan
John Rackham
Jean Laffite
Mary Read
Samuel Bellamy
 Sir Francis Drake
Stede Bonnet
William Kidd
Pirate Facts
Pirate Ships
Pirate Vocabulary
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Sir Francis Drake was born around 1540 as the son of a puritan farmer and
preacher. He taught himself the art of sailing as the navigator of a small merchant
sail vessel. Later in the beginning of his career, he served as an officer aboard
West African slave ships.
Sailing from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Mexico in 1567 Drake and his
cousin John Hawkins were attacked and defeated by a Spanish Armada. They lost all of
their vessels, and barely left with their lives. From that time on Drake would have
a deep hatred for Catholic Spaniards. In the years 1570 and 1571 Drake familiarized
himself with the Caribbean territory, and made many friends amongst escaped African
slaves. Soon Drake led battles against the Spanish with the help his African
friends.
In 1572 Drake was equipped with 2 ships and 73 sailors by his cousin
Hawkins, and his associates. Queen Elizabeth also commissioned Drake as a privateer,
to sail for America. In 25 days Drake crossed the Atlantic and found himself in the
Caribbean Sea. After an unsuccessful attack on the Spanish port Nombre de Dios
(today’s Nicaragua), Drake started to make new plans on plundering a Spanish
caravan transporting gold. From the beginning the entire escapade seemed to be
another loss for Drake. However, with certain setbacks, the enterprise brought Drake
success and fame. Bringing his plunder to queen Elizabeth, he was selected to be the
head of an expedition that was to sail around the world. Drake was flattered with
this appointment, and made new more extravagant and hazardous plans.
On December 13th 1577, Drake began his expedition. Drake set
sail with 3 ships, accompanied by two supply ships (Which he later planned to
abandon). Drake sailed with the queen’s courtesan and his friend Thomas Doughty.
After harsh weather, and tough sailing, Thomas Doughty, a mutineer, convinced Drake’s
exhausted crew to revolt against their captain. Drake’s reaction was ruthless.
When Drake reached his destination on the West Coast of South America, Drake had
Doughty convicted to be beheaded in a court-martial. After the incident, Drake
changed his ship’s name to "Golden Hind".
Sailing to Valparaiso, Drake encountered rain, and storms. His three-mast
ship was devastated by the journey. No Spaniards were able to identify the Golden
Hind as a pirate ship (make link to ship page), and fell victim to Drakes attacks.
Drake plundered a Spanish war-ship, and the port of Callo. Drake’s real treasure
was the information on the heading of Spanish galleon named "Nuestra Senora de
la Conception", popularly named by the Spanish sailors "Cacafuego"
("Fireball"). The Spanish galleon sailed smoothly to the coast of Panama
unaware of the impending danger.
On the 3rd of March 1579 with the first sign of the "Cacafuego"
on the horizon, Drake commanded all sails to be prepared. Around 6:00 p.m., the
Golden Hind met the Spanish Galleon with cannon fire, in short the Galleon was
forced to surrender. Drake plundered unimaginable wealth. The task of relocating the
Galleons hold took Drake’s crew four days. Drake acquired 80 pounds of gold, 20
tons on silver, 13 cases of silver coins, and cases full of pearls and precious
stones. On the 26th of September 1580, the Golden Hind burdened with the
holds heavy and precious cargo, sailed to the port of Plymouth after three years of
adventures around the world.
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