The Golden Hind Facts
The Golden Hind was originally called the Pelican.
The Pelican and the Marigold had been built of wood at the shipyards at Aldeburgh, Suffolk and moved to Plymouth, Devon in 1576.
The Galleon of Sir Francis Drake had three masts and five decks.
The estimated hull dimensions of the galleon were: Length: 70 feet (21.3 m), Breadth: 19 feet (5.8 m), Depth: 9 feet (2.7 m)
The ship weighed around 100 tons.
The Golden Hind featured no fewer than 18 or 22 guns. **
Of the 5 vessels which left on Drake's voyage, The Golden Hind was the only one to return.
The Pelican and the Marigold had been built of wood at the shipyards at Aldeburgh, Suffolk and moved to Plymouth, Devon in 1576.
The Golden Hind, was the only vessel to return from Francis Drake’s expedition - five vessels had originally set out from England.
There were great celebrations upon Francis Drake's return to England. The ship was decorated with banners on the day that Drake was knighted and Queen Elizabeth I dined on board the Golden Hind.
The length of Drake's voyage around the World was 2 years, 10 months, and 18 days. A total of 1,017 days.
All of the navigational aids used by Sir Francis Drake on the Golden Hind Ship were used to measure the angle between objects above the ocean, such as the stars or the sun, with the horizon. This would have enabled Sir Francis Drake to calculate the Golden Hind ship's position at sea.
Sir Francis Drake - Quick facts
Born in England in 1540, Drake lived in a two-room cottage; the family lived in one room and the animals in the other.
In 1572, with two ships and 73 men, Drake set out on the first of his famous marauding expeditions.
Drake was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe.
Drake's flagship was originally called the 'Pelican' but was renamed during the voyage to the 'Golden Hind'.
Drake's voyage lasted 2 years 10 months and 18 days. (1,017 days)
1581 Drake was made mayor of Plymouth.
Mary Newman was his first wife, she died early and Drake remarried to Elizabeth Sydenham.
Drake's final voyage a quest to destroy Spanish interests in the West Indies in 1596 was to prove a failure and ultimately lead to his death when the voyage was ravaged by fever.
King Philip II of Spain so hated Drake that he put a bounty worth $10 million on his head.
A feared pirate, Drake was known as El Dragón to the Spanish and his name is used to this day to scare naughty children!
Drake’s most profitable naval haul included 80lb of gold, a golden crucifix, countless jewels, 13 chests full of royal plate and 26 tons of silver.
Drake’s lasting contribution to Britain was the potato which he introduced in 1586.
