Francis+Drake

=SIR FRANCIS DRAKE= =__Introduction__= Francis Drake spent most of his life raiding ships as a privateer. He was born in the town of Devonshire, England. In 1549, he moved with his family to the county of Kent, where his father became a chaplain in naval shipyards on the coast. Francis was apprenticed to the master of a ship that sailed to ports on the English Channel and in the mouth of the River Thames. He lived from 1543 to 1596. Drake died of dysentry on January 28, 1596. His crew buried him at sea. :)

=__Purpose__= The purpose of Drake's voyage was to raid the Spanish galleons and steal their wealthy items and bring them back to England. He was given this assignment by Queen Elizabeth I. =__Route__= Drake sailed with six ships. He sailed southwest from Plymouth, England, to the Cape Verde Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Drake then followed the Atlantic coast of South America to the Strait of Magellan and explored the continent's southernmost islands. He then headed north along South America's Pacific coast, raiding Spanish settlements along the way. After reaching the coast of what is now Oregon, Drake continued westward across the Pacific Ocean. He stopped at the Philippines, the Molucca Islands, Sulawesi (Celebes), and Java. After crossing the Indian Ocean, Drake sailed around Africa's Cape of Good Hope and returned to Plymouth on Sept. 26, 1580.

media type="custom" key="3759381" width="798" height="108" =__Hardships and Challenges__= While sailing down the Strait of Magellan, violent storms blew the ships far south. One of his ships was wrecked and another returned to England. Also, he had conflicts at Moluccas and at Huatulco. He also had a conflict with the Spanish ship called the Cacafuego. =__Interesting Facts__= In 1585, Drake's men burned Santo Domingo. He also occupied Cartagena for six weeks and held it for ransom. When he came back from his voyage with all these Spanish treasures, Queen Elizabeth I was so happy she knighted Drake on his own deck. =__Historical Contributions__= Sir Francis Drake was the second englishman to sail around the world and the first European to see the west coast of Canada. During this voyage, he collected 1 million dollars worth of Spanish treasure for England.

__Sources:__
www.worldbookonline.com www.enchantedlearning.com