Explorer, Naval Officer. The pre-eminent Elizabethan Era seaman, he born at Crowndale Farm, near Tavistock, Devon, in southwest England. In 1567 he commanded the Judith in his kinsman John Hawkyns's ill-fated expedition to the West Indies, and returned there several times to recover the losses sustained from the Spaniards, his exploits gaining him great popularity in England. In 1577 he set out with five ships for the Pacific, through the Straits of Magellan, but after his fleet was battered by storm and fire, he alone continued in the Golden Hind. He then struck out across the Pacific, reached the Pelew Islands, and returned to England via the Cape of Good Hope in 1580. The following year, the Queen Elizabeth I visited his ship and knighted him. In 1585 he sailed with 25 ships against the Spanish East Indies, bringing home tobacco, potatoes, and the dispirited Virginian colonists. In the week-long battle against the Spanish Armada in the English Channel in 1588, his seamanship and courage brought him further distinction. In 1595 he sailed again to the West Indies, but died of dysentery off Porto Bello. He was buried in a lead coffin in the waters off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Explorer, Naval Officer. The pre-eminent Elizabethan Era seaman, he born at Crowndale Farm, near Tavistock, Devon, in southwest England. In 1567 he commanded the Judith in his kinsman John Hawkyns's ill-fated expedition to the West Indies, and returned there several times to recover the losses sustained from the Spaniards, his exploits gaining him great popularity in England. In 1577 he set out with five ships for the Pacific, through the Straits of Magellan, but after his fleet was battered by storm and fire, he alone continued in the Golden Hind. He then struck out across the Pacific, reached the Pelew Islands, and returned to England via the Cape of Good Hope in 1580. The following year, the Queen Elizabeth I visited his ship and knighted him. In 1585 he sailed with 25 ships against the Spanish East Indies, bringing home tobacco, potatoes, and the dispirited Virginian colonists. In the week-long battle against the Spanish Armada in the English Channel in 1588, his seamanship and courage brought him further distinction. In 1595 he sailed again to the West Indies, but died of dysentery off Porto Bello. He was buried in a lead coffin in the waters off the coast of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Bio by: Erik Lander
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