The Golden Hind was a 16th century armed galleon and the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe. Built in Plymouth and originally named The Pelican, Francis Drake renamed the ship Golden Hind in 1578, in honour of his patron Christopher Hatton. Five ships (Pelican, Elizabeth, Marigold, Christopher and Swan) and 164 sailors set off in 1577. Only Drake’s ship completed the voyage and he returned in 1580 with a rich cargo of spices and a large haul of privateered Spanish treasure for his Queen. Drake was knighted by Queen Elizabeth on the decks of the Golden Hind in 1581. The galleon was on public view at Deptford, London for nearly 100 years, but in 1660 had rotted away and was broken up. Today a full-size replica is berthed at Southwark in London, it too has circumnavigated the globe and sailed 140,000 miles between 1973-1996.
This model was brought to you with help from Museums Galleries Scotland as part of the ‘Exploring the Ship Model Collection at the McManus’ project.
Comments