The Gentleman Pirate
Author: PublicWiki
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 , 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.
Upon Drake’s return in 1580, Queen Elizabeth knighted him on
the
deck of the "Golden Hind",
and made him the mayor of Plymouth.
Queen Elizabeth had a good deal to be grateful for with
Drake’s
journey, as for each pound used to finance it, she earned 47.
Although Drake established fame for his bravery and courage,
he
wasn’t well liked by his contemporaries. Drake was; however,
liked
by Queen Elizabeth, and she placed him in command of a fleet
of
ships with which he inflicted a great deal of damage on the
oversea
Spanish Empire.
On the 28th of January 1596, 16 years after Drake was
knighted,
he began his last journey against the Spanish strongholds of
the
West Indies where after successfully accomplishing his
objectives
Drake passed away. As a farewell, Drake’s crew ignited two
captured
vessels, and while the cannon’s did salute him, the water of
the
Caribbean Sea had engulfed him.