Francis Drake was born around 1540 and was the son of a preacher and puritan farmer. He also taught himself to sail, as the navigator of a small merchant sail vessel. In the beginning of his career, he served as an officer aboard West African slave ships.

Drake and his cousin John Hawkins were attacked and defeated by a Spanish Armada when sailing from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Mexico in 1567. Barely escaping with their lives, they lost all of their vessels. From then on Drake had a deep hatred for Catholic Spaniards. In  1570 and 1571 he accustomed himself with the Caribbean territory, befriending many of the escaped South African slaves. Soon he led battles against the Spanish with the help his slave friends..

In 1572, Drake was equipped with 2 ships and 73 sailors by his cousin Hawkins, and their contacts. Queen Elizabeth then commissioned Drake as a privateer, to set sail for America. In 25 days Drake, along with his crew, crossed the Atlantic, finding  themselves in the midst of the Caribbean Sea. After a determined attack on the Spanish port Nombre de Dios (today’s Nicaragua), which turned out to be unsuccessful, they started to make new plans on raiding a Spanish caravan that was transporting gold. From the start, the entire escapade seemed to be another loss for them. However, with certain setbacks, the enterprise brought Drake success and fame. Bringing his loot to queen Elizabeth, he was selected to be the head of a voyage that was to sail around the world. Drake was thrilled with this engagement, and made new more elaborate and perilous plans.

On December 13th 1577, Drake started his mission. Drake set sail with 3 ships and two supply ships that would later be abandoned. Drake sailed with the queen’s courtesan along with his friend, Thomas Doughty. After rough weather, and harsh sailing, Thomas Doughty, a mutineer, convinced the exhausted crew to rebel against their captain. Drake’s reaction was merciless. When Drake reached his destination on the West Coast of South America, Drake had Doughty convicted to be beheaded in a public court. After the beheading, Drake then changed his ship’s name to "Golden Hind".

Sailing to Valparaiso, Drake encountered many a storm.. His three-mast ship was confounded by the passage. None of the Spaniards were able to identify the Golden Hind as a pirate ship, and they lost their crews to Drake's attacks. He then ransacked a Spanish war-ship, and the port of Callo. Drake’s real treasure was the information on the heading of Spanish galleon named "Nuestra Senora de la Conception", popularly named by the Spanish sailors "Cacafuego" ("Fireball"). The Spanish galleon sailed efficiently to the coast of Panama oblivious of the awaiting threat.

On March 3, 1579, with the first evidence of the "Cacafuego" on the horizon, he commanded all sails to be prepared. Later, around 6:00 p.m., the Golden Hind greeted the Spanish Galleon with cannon fire, in short the Galleon was forced to give up. Drake plundered unimaginable wealth. The errand of relocating the Galleons hold took his crew four days. Drake attained 80 pounds of gold, 20 tons on silver, 13 cases of silver coins, and cases full of pearls and precious stones. On September 26, 1580, the Golden Hind, hampered with the holds heavy and precious cargo, sailed to the port of Plymouth after three years of adventures around the globe.

In 1580, upon his return, Queen Elizabeth knighted him on the deck of the "Golden Hind", and named him the mayor of Plymouth. Queen Elizabeth had a good deal to be grateful for with Drake’s expedition, as for each pound used to finance it she earned 47.

Although Drake created fame for his bravery and courage, he wasn’t well liked by his equals. Drake although, was liked by Queen Elizabeth, and she placed him in domination of a fleet of ships with which he caused a great deal of harm on the oversea Spanish Empire.

On January 28, 1596, 16 years after he was knighted, Drake launched his last journey against the Spanish strongholds of the West Indies where after successfully accomplishing his objectives, passed away. As a farewell, Drake’s crew inflamed two captured vessels, and while the cannon’s did solute him, the water of the Caribbean Sea had engulfed him.