Francis Drake Completes Second Circumnavigation
Francis Drake departed Plymouth in December 1577 with five vessels, plundered Spanish possessions along the Pacific coast of South America—raiding Valparaíso, Lima, and capturing the treasure ship Nuestra Señora de la Concepción—and returned to Plymouth on 26 September 1580 aboard the Golden Hind, completing the second circumnavigation of the globe and the first by an Englishman. Queen Elizabeth I knighted him on the deck of his ship. The voyage demonstrated England's ability to operate globally and attack the Spanish Empire at its most vulnerable points, and Drake's plunder contributed substantially to the Crown's finances at a critical moment.
- Year: 1577 CE
- Category: Military
