The Golden Hind was an English galleon famous for circumnavigating the globe led by Sir Francis Drake. It was renamed from the Pelican midway through the voyage and arrived back in England in 1580. The ship was displayed to the public and several replicas have been made, including one in Brixham, Devon.
The Golden Hind was an English galleon, or sailing ship, famed for circumnavigating the globe. Galleons were large vessels used from the 15th to the 18th century to travel long distances. These vessels were used by most of the European countries and carried out both commercial and military activities. Due to their size, they provided a means of traveling across the oceans.
What makes the Golden Hind famous is its voyage around the Earth led by Sir Francis Drake. Queen Elizabeth I assigned Drake to sail around the world, and the vessel chosen was the Pelican. Midway through the voyage, Drake renamed the ship the Golden Hind. He did it in honor of Sir Christopher Hatton, who was an English politician at the time and a major sponsor of Sir Francis Drake during his travels.
The voyage began in December 1577, with Pelican accompanied by five smaller vessels holding 164 men. Drake and his party reached Brazil in the spring of 1578. As the ship passed through the Strait of Magellan, which passes through the southern tip of South America, Drake renamed the ship the Golden Hind. From there, they sailed north to San Francisco, where they began their journey across the Pacific in late July 1579.
The Golden Hind reached the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa in June 1580. From this point, Drake steered his ship north and returned to England later that year. The Golden Hind arrived at Plymouth Harbor in England in late September 1580. Of the crew who had started the voyage on the vessel, only three-quarters had survived the voyage.
Due to the success of the voyage, Drake was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. The Golden Hind was moored at Deptford in London, England. It was set up as a display for the public to visit and is thought to be one of the first times a ship was displayed to the public. The public was able to visit the ship for almost 100 years, before the wood of the hull rotted and the ship was broken up and removed.
Several replicas have been made of the ship. One of the replicas was built in 1964 and is located in Brixham, Devon, England. It is currently used as a museum allowing visitors to explore all levels of the ship and to understand the conditions of life at sea during the Tudor era.
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