Timeline of Francis Drake's circumnavigation facts for kids

The ships hold four pinnaces which await final assembly should they be needed. The crews, who total 164 men and boys, include common sailors, artisans, and gentlemen. The expedition is supplied with a chaplain, Francis Fletcher, who records the most complete surviving account of any who serve on this journey. The crew believes they are on a voyage to Alexandria, Egypt. The mix of social classes will eventually lead to problematic tensions.

On the island, crewman John Fry is kidnapped. Drake organizes efforts to locate and rescue Fry but they are unsuccessful. Fry is released after the expedition sails and eventually finds passage home on an English merchant ship.

The Englishmen release all the captured ships except one for which they exchange the diminutive Benedict. Her name is recorded as Christopher. After six days, the expedition sets sail for the Cape Verde Islands.

2 February

Upon leaving Cape Verde, Fletcher wrote in anticipation of the journey ahead: "And so we take our farwell from the antient knowne parts of the world or earth, to travill into the new discovered partes of the world, by the Gracious Providence of God, the God of all the world, Who, hitherto, in His singular mercy and grace, has preserved us alive to see and behold more and more of his excellent workes, and to declare his power."

After departing Cape Verde—while sailing west in the Atlantic—a problem unfolds. Accounts differ as to the nature of trouble, but they agree that Drake intervenes when Doughty quarreled with sailors under his command. Drake relieves Doughty and takes command of Mary.

Fletcher assigns 33 ½° south latitude as the fleet's first landfall and also records it on this day. He describes the land in positive terms saying that it appeared to be a fair opportunity to perform much needed maintenance on the ship's hulls. He writes that a deadly fog prevents them from availing this location for those purposes.

The sailors re-provision by hunting for meat, taking on water, and gathering wood under pleasant conditions. Here, Christopher rejoins the fleet after she had been lost from the fleet during turbulent weather encountered while sailing south along the Brazilian coast. Drake gives the cheerful name to the cape as recognition of this reunion. The fleet anchors at various points within the bay here: Isla de Flores, Arazati, and Cape San Antonio.

With the land lacking resources such as water and wood, the fleet left the harbor on 15 May. They sail with a minimal spread of canvas hoping this will allow Mary to overtake them.

Drake nurtures friendly relations with the indigenous people by using patience and gifts. The two groups interact daily and entertain each other with music and dancing. One inhabitant opportunistically snatches Drake's scarlet hat from his head. A sailor raises an arquebuse to fire after the fleeing man but Drake forbids him to shoot by ordering "not to kill a man for a cap." Rather, Drake reacts with humor and does not try to retrieve the stolen item. On 3 June, they weighed anchor and sailed south.

Here, Drake received reports of growing discontentment. Doughty's self-promotion has resulted in harsh words with John Saracold. Tensions have also grown among the crew as the gentlemen linger while common sailors toil. Bitter words and blows are exchanged between Doughty and a sailor named Gregory. In the ensuing complaint to captain John Chester, Doughty uses insubordinate language.

Later Thomas Doughty and his brother John are ordered aboard Christopher. Thomas refuses so Drake has him forcibly removed, quells a short protest over the matter, and returns to Pelican. Having re-joined the fleet, Swan, which is badly damaged, is abandoned to consolidate the fleet.

Because Mary is still missing from the fleet, Drake believes if he enters the Strait of Magellan without the ship, they would likely never see her again. Thus, when he weighs anchor, he sets a course that takes them north instead of heading for the strait.

17 August

While relations began well with the indigenous Patagonian inhabitants, they turned tragic when Robert Winterhey, a gentleman, demonstrates his bow to them and the string breaks. One Patagonian puts an arrow into Winterhey and another through a sailor named Oliver. Drake and the other men present protect themselves with shields as a general attack upon the Englishmen ensues. Drake eventually picks up an arquebus and inflicts a devastating wound on the Patagonian who initiated the violence. This scatters the rest of the attackers. Drake does not allow retribution for the two Englishmen's deaths, and the Patagonians do not return. For defensive purposes, Drake positions his crew's camp on a small island within the bay.

On 30 June, all crew members are summoned to the island and Drake addresses the tensions involving Doughty by empaneling a jury and convening a trial for capital crimes. Drake prosecutes and Doughty defends. The jury renders a guilty verdict and passes a sentence of death. On 2 July, two days after the trial, Doughty faces the beheading block with dignity and courage. Just before the execution, Drake and Doughty even dine and take the communion sacrament together. Doughty, Winterhey, and Oliver are all buried on the island, and their graves marked with an engraved stone. On another stone, Drake's name is engraved in Latin to record his presence on the island. The exact location of the island is uncertain.

Drake subsequently offers Marigold to any who wish to return to England. All decline. During a Sunday religious service, Drake gives a sermon in which he unites the crew by urging that the common sailors cease despising the gentlemen and that the gentlemen work alongside the sailors at all tasks. Morale slowly rises through the month of July as the men prepare the fleet for navigating the Strait of Magellan. On 17 August, the fleet sets sail with the three remaining ships, Marigold, Elizabeth, and Pelican.

in July 1578, Drake sent Wynter ashore where he learned from indigenous people that they ate the astringent bark Drimys winteri. The bark would likely aid the Golden Hind and the Elizabeth in avoiding scurvy among their crews.

6 September

Information about the fleet's passage is most completely found in da Silva's and John Drake's accounts. No one in the fleet, including the Portuguese pilot da Silva, has sailed through these waters and anchorages will be problematic. If the ships should become separated, all captains know they are to rendezvous at 30° south latitude. While currents are favourable, winds vary and shoals and rocks present hazards.

On 24 August, they come across the islands Isabel, Marta, and Magdalena. Here, Drake and several crew members go ashore, took possession of the land, and name the island Elizabeth Island. Today it is identified as Isabel Island. This is the first English overseas territorial claim made in Queen Elizabeth. The fleet anchors five miles west of the claim. At Magdalena, the crew hunts 3,000 penguins. As they continue, anchorage locations remain uncertain although several possibilities are suggested.

The strait narrows at the entrance of Pasa Largo and remains so for 40 nautical miles before spilling into the Pacific. The three vessels depart from the strait on 6 September. The fourteen day passage is by far the fastest passage of the 16th century.

6 October

After Golden Hinde and Elizabeth are separated, Wynter returns to the Strait of Magellan instead of the Pacific rendezvous point. He abandons the fleet, enters the strait on 8 October and eventually anchors in England on 2 June 1579. Fletcher assesses the abandonment as partially due to negligence of Elizabeth's commanders and partly due to the desire of crewmen who wanted escape from the difficult conditions.

Eight crew members, who are in a pinnace which is serving as a tender to Golden Hinde, are unable to follow the ship. They eventually navigate back through the strait to the Atlantic. After much hardship, only Peter Carder survives, and he eventually returns to England in 1586 where he tells his story to the Queen.

Drake explores the island on foot and takes measurements on the southern-most part of the island, two miles from Golden Hinde’s anchorage. Drake names the island Elizabeth Island. He gives this name despite already using it for a different island within the Strait of Magellan.

The crew knows the significance of this anchorage: despite conventional wisdom that maintains a continental mass emanates from the south shore of the Strait of Magellan, it is actually a series of islands. Additionally, they learn that no heavy current prevents ships from navigating east through the strait or at the meeting of the two oceans. This discovery contradicts to popular thought of the time.

With fair winds, Drake sets sail on 28 October. Fifty days have passed since the crew first encountered storms and violent seas.

1 November

While the aggressiveness of Native Peoples who had prior encounters with Spaniards suggests caution for the English, the first day's transactions get Drake's guard down. He returns the next day with 10 men for water without firearms and bows: the crew is only armed with shields and swords. Upon landing their boat, two men climb out. The crew is attacked by at least 100 armed Aruacanians. The two sailors, Tom Brewer and Tom Flood, are captured and killed. Escaping only by cutting the boat's rope, the boat retreats, but every Englishman is wounded at least once, and two of them soon die of their injuries. Drake takes an arrow into his face under his right eye. The death of Diego several months later is ascribed to the wounds he suffered at Mocha Island.

When aboard Golden Hinde. Drake's crew urges him to order the ship's guns to fire upon the Aruacanians. Drake refuses and explains to his men that the Aruacanians’ hostility is because they mistake the Englishmen for Spaniards who have dealt so poorly with them. Drake desires that his country avoid such a legacy with the people as had Spain. Later in the day, Drake sails Golden Hinde north.

In the ensuing attack, Richard Minivy is killed before Drake is able to come with a boat and rescue the others. ..... The crew later returns and buries the body. When they return to the vessel and make to sail, Spaniards return to the shore with a flag of truce. Drake mistrusts this gesture and departs.

Da Silva's log places this anchorage on the 21st. No other period record mentions it.

During this interlude, the crew unloads lumber from their ship to build a pinnace which is launched on the afternoon of 9 January. The next day Drake sails the pinnace southward in a futile attempt to find and reunite with Elizabeth. Fletcher writes that the pinnace was forced back to harbor after only one day of sailing due to “the winde being contrary.” Da Silva records the pinnace returned on 12 January after being forced to return “because natives came from the shore.”

Fletcher places the date of arrival to this anchorage on the 20 Dec while da Silva records the date as the 22 Dec. Both record 19 January as the day Drake sails from this location and takes the expedition farther north.

1 February [O.S. 22 January] 1579

Here, the crew anchors along an island only a few hundred yards from the mainland. The possible location is situated today roughly 30 miles north of Copiapó, Chile. They encounter four Camanchaca fishermen, invite them aboard Golden Hinde, and present them with food and gifts. The fishermen indicate that water is not readily available ashore, so Drake continues sailing ahead of the continually favourable southerly wind.

22 January O.S. (all following dates are O.S.)

While continuing their search for water, the crew lands again close by. Here they find a Spanish man accompanied by an indigenous boy. From the Spaniard, they purloin additional silver.

While in Arica, Drake learns that in neighboring port at Chule, Peru, there is a ship bearing 800 bars of silver.

Drake sails away with a bit of fresh water and the Spanish ship. While still close to the shore, Drake sets the ship adrift with her mainsail and foresail set. He has lost the advantage of surprise. Drake impresses two pilots.

He learns of a ship anchored at Callao, belonging to Miguel Angel, which is taking a cargo of silver to Panama. Drake is also informed that another ship, Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, informally referred to as Cacafuego, has recently departed from the port. She is a 120-ton vessel commanded by Captain San Juan de Antón who is entirely unaware of any threat from English ships. Since the Spanish vessel is heavily laden with silver and will be stopping at other ports, Drake believes he can overtake her.

Drake impresses two men from the ship and releases her.

15–16 February

The harbor holds an uncertain number of ships: reports vary from as low as nine to as many as 30. All are almost entirely empty of crew. As Golden Hinde is in the harbor San Cristobol arrives from Panama and sails in. A skirmish for the ship ensues as Drake's men swarm aboard. One of Drake's men is shot, and the Spaniards flee to shore in a boat.

Drake's crew leaves the harbor aboard both vessels, Golden Hinde and San Cristobol. With them, they carry eight prisoners. Da Silva records that they left Callao on the 15th and Fletcher records the 16th as the day of their departure.

Immediately after this failure, the viceroy will outfit another two ships and a launch to again pursue Golden Hinde. Although directed to pursue as far as Nicaragua, the vessels of 120 soldiers commanded by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa proceed only to Panama before returning without catching Drake.

Golden Hinde crewmen test Diaz Bravo's ship for sailing worthiness. Providing a pinnace for Diaz Bravo's crew, Drake directs the crew to remove their belongings and board a pinnace he provides. Diaz Bravo pleads to Drake, asking that Drake not deny Diaz Bravo his only property. Drake relents and returns the vessel to her owner.

One of the Black seamen informs Drake that the vessel's clerk, Francisco Jacome, has hidden treasure on the vessel. When confronted with this by Drake, Jacome denies the accusations. Disbelieving the clerk, Drake has a rope placed around Jacome's neck to compel information. Drake momentarily hoists the clerk from the deck, drops him into the sea, and retrieves him from the water with a boat. At this point, Drake is satisfied Jacome is truthful and allows him to releases him without further violence.

Before departing, Drake has several sails removed from Diaz Bravo's ship and casts them into the sea. This hinders the vessel from moving quickly and spreading the alarm that Golden Hinde is nearby.

To avoid alarming Nuestra Seńora de la Concepción’s crew by approaching quickly, Drake orders wine jars be dragged behind his ship. Nine hours later, Golden Hinde and a pinnace approach. Drake orders Antón to strike sail. Antón refuses and Drake responds with a formidable volley of arrows and arqueubus shot. Artillery, firing chainballs, bring down the vessel's mizzen mast. Eleven Spanish crew and passengers seek shelter below deck and leave Antón to stand alone against the English threat. The pinnace grapples alongside the treasure ship and swarms over it.

Antón surrenders and is taken to Drake's cabin where he is embraced and treated well. Drake takes both ships farther out to sea where, over the course of several days, the Spanish treasure is transferred to Golden Hinde. The haul is immense: 80 pounds of gold, 26 tons of silver, and 13 or 14 chests of reals is removed along with two casks of water, food, tackle, sails, and canvas. This amounts to £126,000 which equals half of Elizabeth's annual revenue. An additional £4,800 of unregistered cargo is taken. A young sailor aboard the ship suggests that the ship not be informally called the Cacafuego, but rather it should be known as Cacaplata.

Before Antón's passengers and crew are allowed to sail away, Drake personally bestows upon each of them valuable gifts, provides Antón a safe conduct pass, and releases the pilot, Jorje. Drake also charges Antón to beg the Viceroy of Peru to spare the lives of the Englishmen captured during John Oxenham's failed expedition.

After indicating to Antón that he will be back in England within six months, Drake sails Golden Hinde north. The large amount of treasure intensifies the problem of her leaking hull.

16–24 March

Spanish mariner Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa notes that despite being careened here, Golden Hinde has a serious leak and is in much need of caulking.

Since the men need to refit Golden Hinde, they careen their ship to clean the hull of barnacles and collect food, water, and wood. Fletcher notes that they are hit by an earthquake powerful enough to shake the ship. Drake uses a scouting pinnace and takes another prize, a bark owned by Rodrigo Tello, off the coast of Nicaragua. He places the all the prisoners, except one, into the pinnace and exchanges it for Tello's vessel. Along with the prisoner, Alonso Sanchez Colchero, he take charts and dispatches from the Viceroy and King Philip II that were intended for the Philippine governor. Both, he hopes, will aid him for his eventual journey across the Pacific. When Drake leaves the island, he sails with both ships.

Along with silk, linen, food, and water, Drake also removes four chests of Chinese porcelain ware. Also leaving the ship to travel aboard Golden Hinde is a Black woman, Maria. Drake takes another pilot, Jaun Pascual and leaves behind Colchero. As Colchero has refused to cooperate, Drake hopes Pascual will prove useful.

Later that day, Drake continues north along the coast. Drake is disgusted with the poor condition of Zarate's ship. He threatens to hang the ship's pilot for carrying such a fine gentleman as Zarate on a ship of ruinous conditions. Before he leaves Zarate's ship, he gives gifts to each person aboard the ship and presents Zarate with a safe conduct pass. Zarate notes the weight and damage Golden Hind has suffered and considers repairs to the ship as urgent.

While anchored, Drake consults with da Silva over a map as the two consider options for returning to England. Da Silva believes Drake will sail north with his two vessels to search for the fabled Strait of Anian. Drake releases da Silva here after 15 months of impressed service.

While in the harbor, Drake prepares for open sea sailing from this location by dismounting his artillery and sealing the gun ports by closing and caulking them.

The crewmen are visited by a large contingent of Coast Miwok who hold a ceremony where they give speeches and place a feathered crown upon Drake's head. Later, Drake has a plate of brass fashioned that names the land Nova Albion (New Albion) and claims the region for his queen. Drake chooses this name for two reasons: first, the white banks and cliffs which he saw were similar to those found on the English coast and, second, because Albion was an archaic name by which the island of Great Britain was known

During this stay, Drake treks up and into the country to visit an inland Coast Miwok village. Fletcher notes the striking difference of the pleasant inland area compared to the cold and foggy shoreline where the men's encampment lies. Fletcher also records details of the people, homes, baskets, language as well as detailed descriptions of the flora and fauna. All interactions between the Coast Miwok and Englishmen are friendly. The Coast Miwok show distress as Golden Hinde sails into the Pacific over a month after first arriving here. Drake leaves behind Tello's bark and Chinese porcelain ware.

3 October

Multitudes of the people arrive in canoes and swarm the ship. After brief trading, they begin taking what they please and begin fighting among themselves. Golden Hinde sailors get the people off the ship, but find themselves under fire from darts and arrows. After one ineffectual warning shot, Drake reluctantly directs artillery fire into the group. Mangling canoes and people, the damage scatters survivors. The Englishmen name this the Island of Thieves and sail on. Fletcher writes, “Till the third of October wee could not get cleare of these consorts.”

A solemn verbal agreement is made in which Drake pledges English ships to the Sultan within two years. The Sultan offers the promise of the clove trade to Elizabeth and the two men exchange valuable gifts. Golden Hinde is loaded with six tons of cloves and sails west.

12 December

Despite being uninhabited, it is a pleasant, wooded location with plentiful water and food. Those who were weak with sickness, recover quickly. Again, Fletcher records details of the flora and fauna. The crewmen careen Golden Hinde and make preparations to exit these waters and cross the Indian Ocean.

In his deposition to the Inquisition, John Drake stated that Maria and three Black men were left on the island “to found a settlement, leaving them rice, seeds and means of making fire. Another period source states that the woman was simply abandoned upon the island.

Before pumping water from the hold, Drake first calls the men to kneel and pray. Soon, it is clear the ship's timbers are solid. Drake tries to kedge the ship's way off the reef. This is when they learn of the reef's sharp rise from the floor: only a boat length from the ship, sailors sound 300 fathoms and fail to find bottom. Kedging is impossible.

The Englishmen resort to lightening the ship so that she could ride higher in the water. Artillery pieces, spices, and victuals were among the items jettisoned. At 4:OO on the afternoon of 10 January, the wind slackens and Golden Hinde releases from the reef. The only damage is a slight leak.

At one point during the dilemma, Fletcher sermonizes that their plight results from God's wrath due to Drake's execution of Doughty. After the ship is freed, Drake angrily excommunicates Fletcher, chains him to a hatch, and hangs a sign on him which states: “Frances fletcher, ye falseth knave that liveth.”

February 6

The Englishmen find the island to be rich in metals such as gold, silver, copper, and tin which the people work into various forms. There is much fresh food and spices including nutmeg, pepper, ginger, lemons, figs, and cucumbers. Fletcher is impressed with the inhabitant's comely stature, civil demeanor, and courtesy toward strangers. He describes the dress of both the men and women. Other than Ternate, the Golden Hinde’s crew finds this to their most comfortable and refreshing stay.

On the 10th, Drake anchors on a shoal two miles off the coast. On the 11th, he moves the ship to the islands northeast sheltered shore and into a cove near a town where he anchors and takes water. Drake sends a boat ashore to interact with the Java inhabitants and repositions Golden Hinde once more, moving closer to the town.

On the 12th, Drake sends men ashore with gifts of linen, wool, and silk cloth which are well received by the king. In return, the king sends rice, hens and other food. Fletcher writes of the political leaders and notes the happy visits and exchanges the Englishmen have with the people of Java. Drake happily entertains them and Fletcher notes that they particularly enjoy the Golden Hinde’s musicians. Fletcher also writes that the Java music was, “of a very strange kind, yet the sound was pleasant and delightfull.”

These visits and exchanges delay the crew from attending to badly needed maintenance on their ship. Her hull has collected so much shell fish that her sailing is greatly hindered. Finally, Drake either grounds or careens the ship for refitting. This is a crucial stop for Drake. From here, he will be at sea for months before his next landing.

Here, theGolden Hinde crewmen are able to take aboard the desperately needed water and fresh fruit. Here, too, the Englishmen see elephants. To clean the ship's hull, the crew heels her without fully careening the vessel. This allows for most, but not all, of the hull to be cleaned.

Using discretion, he casts anchor on Saint Nicholas Island's seaward side so his ship is hidden from the city. Drake sends John Brewer to Sir Christopher Hatton with the news of Golden Hinde’s return. Brewer will return three days later with Elizabeth's assurance that Drake has nothing to fear.

Fletcher summarizes the voyage at its conclusion as "seeing the wonders of the Lord in the deep, in discouering so many admirable things, in going through with so many strange aduentures, in escaping out of so many dangers, and ouercomming so many difficulties in this our encompassing of this neather globe, and passing round about the world, which we haue related."