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Sir Francis Drake was always dreaming that he would sail, and he did. He started his voyage on December 13,1577. He and more than 160 men sailed from Plymouth on three ships called the Pelican, the Elizabeth, and the Marigold. There were two other ships named the Swan and the Benedict which carried supplies. Drake hoped to explore possibilities of trade and colonial settlement in the Pacific Ocean and to find the western outlet of the Northwest Passage. He wanted to find an undiscovered continent that was thought to lie in the Pacific. After leaving Sao Tiago in the Cape Verde Islands, Drake's expedition met two Portuguese ships. He captured one of the vessels and gave its command to a friend,Thomas Doughty. The ships then sailed south along the Atlantic coast of South America and ran into violent storms. They stopped at San Julian. Before leaving San Julian, Drake destroyed the supply ships and the ships that he had picked up (the Portuguese ships) because they were in bad condition. The remaining three ships sailed through the Strait of Magellan. Shortly after that some more violent storms wrecked the Marigold and blew the Elizabeth off course forcing it to return to England. The storms also blew the Pelican,which Drake had renamed the Golden Hind and which he was sailing on, way to the south. Drake then headed north along the Pacific coast of South America. He captured a Spanish ship the Cacafuego and stole its cargo of gold,silver, and jewels. Loaded with treasure, the Golden Hind sailed north along the Pacific coast of North America. Drake then turned south and repaired his ship where what is now called San Fransico and named the new area New Albion. He claimed the land for England. Drake had planned to return to England through the Strait of Magellan, not to sail around the world. But he feared an attack from the Spanish if he sailed south again. So he decided to sail home by the Pacific and Indian oceans. Drake stopped many times for supplies. After crossing the Indian ocean he sailed around the Cape of Good Hope. Drake reached Plymouth on September 26,1580. He had been out at sea for almost 3 years and the voyage made him a national hero and he is still today. |
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