Sir Francis Drake Last update 23rd March 2004

1572 Ships

1572 Crew

 

History

24/5/1572 - Left Plymouth in command of the Pasche and the Swan (owned by Drake, 25 tons, 26 crew). Brother second in command John Drake. Entered the Caribbean between Dominica and Guadaloupe 5 weeks later, restocking at an uninhabited island 9mi from Guadaloupe.

1/7/1572 - Left island.

11/7/1572 - Arrived at Port Pheasant, Panama, only to find his storehouse from a previous expedition already plundered by the Spanish. Here he set up camp and assembled three pinaces he carried on the voyage. The crew constructed a pentagon fort, with one open wall facing the water from which the pinnaces could be launched. The stockade walls we 30' high and vegetation cleared 50' out.

12/7/1572 - English barque (with pinnace) sailed into harbour under James Ranse with 30 crew, and was invited to join Drake's planned assault on Nombre Dios.

16/7/1572 - Leaves Port Pheasant with his ships, Ranses barque, and four pinnaces heading north

21/7/1572 - Arrives at the Isle of Pines for resupply.

24/7/1572 - Encounteres 2 frigates loading wood at the Isle of pines and sets the negroes free. Leaving the main ships behind, Drake sets out with the 4 pinnaces and 50 of his crew and 20 of Ranse's.

25/7/1572 ?? - Stops on an island somewhere near the Isla Mulatas to train his troops. Later that afternoon they stop 6 miles from Nombre Dios to wait for darkness.

26/7/1572 ?? - Assault Nombre Dios. 12 men were left to guard the pinnaces while the rest ran through the town. 18 men under John Drake and John Oxenham would go one way, Drake and the rest another through the town. The battle took place in the market square, with the Spanish routed when the small force under John Drake appeared behind them. Drake lost one of his trumpteres dead, plus being woudned himself to such an extent that he fainted. However, the crew were very demoralised and ended up leaving without any treasure. To make up for this they took a wine ship in the harbour as they left.

26-28/7/1572 - Drake holed up on a small island just west of Nombre Dios where the wounded were tended. From there he returned to the Isle of Pines where Captain Ranse left them. In the meantime he sent his brother and a sailor named Ellis Hixon up the Chagre river on a scouting expedition.

Drake sailed on to Cartagena. Here he captured a 240ton cargo ship, and made off, capturing two Spanish message boats. He holed up on an island and fished awhile while the Swan was destroyed as there were not enough crew for all the ships he had. They returned to the Gulf of Darien and set up a base in an unknown bay, setting up huts and a meeting hall. Along the coast he captured ships and built 4 storehouses some 40 miles apart from each other.

John Drake set up a new base in the Ilsas Mulatos group. Here he built a triangular fort (Fort Diego I think, possibly named after Drake's negro) while Francis sailed off in 2 pinnaces to Cartagena. Here he captured a few minor prizes and parleyed with the Spanish, ending up in a runnning fight in the bay. He sailed on to Santas Marta seeking food, and being fired on there, sailed further east to Curacao. On the way he captured a 90ton Spanish ship with food aplenty, but his men became diseased, Charles Glubb dieing, but the others recovering. One pinnace returned to Fort Diego to find John Drake dead assaulting a frigate. Drake in the second pinnace returned on the 27/11/1572. They remained here, but were ravaged by yellow fever with 10 crew struck down, most dieing including his brother Joseph.

In the first week of January 1573 the cimaroons advised Drake the Flota had arrived in Nombre Dios. He sent off a pinnace (Lion) to verify, which captured a frigate with supplies and Spanish prisoners.

Drake headed to the mainland for his journey with 18 men and 30 cimaroons. He left his remaining 5 men guarding the Spanish prisoners. Three days out they entered a cimaroon town, where they rested for two days, before setting off for Panama again.

The planned assault on the mule train out of Panam was foiled by a drunken Englishman, so the force headed north to sack Venta Cruces, which they took by storm. They returned to their base, to consider their next move. He sent the pinnace Bear east to seek food while he went west in the pinnace Minion.

Drake captured a ship with news of Veragua port, which he went west to sack, but circumstances were against him and he came away empty handed.

They spent Easter 1573 at their base, and three days later fell in with a French man named Captain Tetu with his 80 ton, 70 crew ship. They joined forces and resolved to have another go at the silver mule train from Panama to Nombre Dios.

15 English, 5 cimaroons and 20 French set out on the venture, capturing a train with the loss of the French captain and one other Frenchman.

They returned to their ships, and reached England 9/8/1573