The famous English pirate Francis Drake began to participate in pirate adventures at the age of 26 years, in 1567. In his youth, he was one of the members of the Hawkins expedition. Drake May 24, 1572 went from Plymouth to the next voyage. He decided to carry it out on his own ship, Sevan. Francis' younger brother, John, was entrusted with command of another ship, the Pasha. Drake during this campaign and other voyages made pirate raids in the Caribbean off the island of Pinos (today it is the island of Huventud) and off the coast of Cuba.
After numerous "feats", Francis returned to England on November 3, 1580. Queen Elizabeth met him with great honors. She even gave the pirate a sword, on which was the inscription that if Drake were hit, it means that the whole kingdom was hit. Elizabeth granted Francis the title of sir. He became Admiral of the British Navy and Member of Parliament. Strange, isn't it? However, all this Francis Drake received deservedly. In the fall of 1580, he returned not just from a pirate campaign. Francis has traveled around the world. After reading this article, you will find out what Francis Drake discovered and what are the results of his expedition. We will also dwell in detail on how this famous journey took place.
Interestingly, no one instructed him to circumnavigate the world, and the pirate himself did not plan it. In those days, many geographical discoveries were made by accident, as a result of unforeseen circumstances.
Preparation for swimming
Francis Drake completed the preparation of a pirate campaign in the fall of 1577. He decided to go to the Pacific (western) coast of South America. The preparation was carried out not without the help of influential patrons, among whom was Queen Elizabeth herself. The idea of the campaign was simple: the Spaniards do not expect an attack on the western coast of South America, either from the sea or from land. Consequently, coastal settlements and ships can be robbed with almost impunity.
Exit to the sea, stop in San Julian
The ships of Francis Drake (there were 4 in total) at the end of 1577 left Plymouth. Already in April of next year, the pirates reached the mouth of the river. La Plati. Having made a short stop, they headed south. Pirates proceeded along the coast of Patagonia. This is the name of the part of modern Argentina, stretching from the Strait of Magellan to the river bed. Rio Negro In the bay of San Julian, located in the south of Patagonia, Francis flotilla decided to make a stop. By the way, it is known that it was in this bay that Magellan wintered in June - October 1520.
The difficulties that the team had to face
After this stop, the flotilla set off further, though already as part of three ships. The fact is that one vessel became faulty and was burned by order of Drake. Soon, travelers reached the Strait of Magellan. It was difficult to overcome its winding and complex fairway in 20 days. The sailors suffered from the cold. It was July, and this is the coldest month in the Southern Hemisphere. Finally, the team entered the Pacific Ocean and continued to move north to the tropics. Suddenly, a great storm overtook the pirates. One ship out of three went missing. Most likely, he crashed and drowned somewhere in the ocean. Another ship again entered the Strait of Magellan. The pirates sailing on this ship managed to return to England. Only one ship left. It was the flagship of Francis Drake's Golden Hind.
How Drake made the discovery
The ship after the storm turned out to be far in the south. Francis Drake noticed that Tierra del Fuego ends here. South of it is a vast ocean. So, by chance, an important geographical discovery was made. It became clear that Tierra del Fuego is an island. It was previously believed that this is part of the unknown land. What Francis Drake discovered was of great importance. Later, the strait between Antarctica and South America began to deservedly be called the Drake Strait.
Attacks on Spanish ships, rich booty
The ocean finally calmed down, and the weather improved. Noticing this, Francis Drake decided to continue the expedition. The pirate sent his only ship north. Feeling the proximity of the subtropics, the team perked up. Sailors began to forget the hardships of the journey they experienced in the Tierra del Fuego region after the first Spanish ships appeared. As a result of attacks on them, the holds of the Golden Doe gradually began to be filled with jewelry and gold.
Drake, without urgent need, did not take the life of those whom he robbed. Because of this, his piracy operations took place almost without loss in his team. Drake established almost friendly relations with the Chilean Indians. The availability of wine, food and women from local tribes, rich extraction became a reward for the hardships and dangers experienced before. Drake captured the Spanish galleon, which transported jewelry and gold from the colonies of America to the Spanish treasury. Not every pirate could boast such luck. The riches obtained were so great that there was nowhere to load them. It was necessary to return to their homeland, but how?
Return trip
Of course, Francis did not know, and he could not know about the plans of the Spaniards. However, as an experienced captain, he was able to foresee that the Spanish ships, intending to destroy him, would set off across the Strait of Magellan. And so it happened. It was necessary to save people, themselves and looted jewelry. And what did Francis Drake do? He decided to head north, moving along the west coast of America. The length of this path is amazing. Drake passed by sea from Tierra del Fuego (of course, stopping several times on the shore) along the coast of Peru and Chile, past the lands of Mexico and Central America, along the western coast of the modern USA. In the end, he reached the 48th degree N, that is, he reached the US border with today's Canada. In total, the length of this path is at least 20 thousand km, since the ship was not moving strictly along the meridian. The ship circled the shores of both Americas.
Farther and farther west the coast deviated. Fleeing from the persecution, Francis was probably ready to get to the Atlantic Ocean, circling North America. However, this was not possible, since the pirate did not know if there was such a way. There was only one way out - to turn west, ending up in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. Heading southwest, Drake reached the Mariana Islands 3 months later. After another 1.5-2 months, his ship was already moving between the islands of the Moluccan archipelago. Drake in this area could well meet with Portuguese or Spanish warships. However, he was lucky to avoid these meetings.
The final stage of the journey
The next stage of the famous pirate's voyage can also be called unique in its own way. Drake's ship sailed from Java through the Indian Ocean to Cape of Good Hope. Travelers, having rounded this cape, moved north. They decided to sail along the west coast of Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. After some time, the pirates reached the Bay of Biscay. They arrived in Plymouth in early November 1580. Thus, a trip lasting 3 years turned out to be around the world.
Merits of Francis Drake
Pirate Francis Drake is the second captain after F. Magellan, who managed to make a trip around the world. However, he was much more fortunate than his predecessor. After all, Magellan did not get to Portugal. He died in a clash with the aborigines that occurred in the Philippine Islands. 1.5 years after his death, the only surviving ship was brought to Lisbon by crew members who managed to survive.
The achievements of Francis Drake consisted not only in the fact that he managed to save his life in a dangerous and long voyage. He brought back most of the Golden Doe ship sailors. In addition, the galleon of Francis Drake, under the personal command of the captain, was brought to the port of Plymouth (England). In addition, the ship was carrying a large load of gold and various jewelry.
Immediately after this voyage (1577-1580), Francis Drake from a simple pirate, as he was a few years ago, turned into a respected admiral of the British Navy. The Queen of England herself showed him all sorts of honors. The discoveries of Francis Drake were appreciated.
After that, Francis went to sea many times. He fought with the Spanish ships. Francis in 1588 participated in repelling the attacks of the Spanish Invincible Armada. The battle ended in victory for the British. The famous pirate died in 1596, a year earlier setting off on another trip. In the Caribbean, he died of dysentery.
The Drake Strait
And today, the wide strait connecting the South Shetland Islands and Tierra del Fuego is named after this pirate. An ignorant person might think that this is some kind of misunderstanding or historical curiosity. But now, when we are aware of all the circumstances of this case, it is safe to say that there is no mistake. That's right, because Drake has done a lot for his homeland. But not only for her. What Francis Drake did for geography is no less, and perhaps more important.