Thomas Cavendish's circumnavigation was a voyage of raid and exploration by English navigator and sailor

Thomas Cavendish Sir Thomas Cavendish (1560 – May 1592) was an English explorer and a privateer known as "The Navigator" because he was the first who deliberately tried to emulate Sir Francis Drake and raid the Spanish towns and ships in the Pacific and retu ...

which took place during the Anglo–Spanish War between 21 July 1586 and 9 September 1588. Following in the footsteps of

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ...

who circumnavigated the globe, Thomas Cavendish was influenced in an attempt to repeat the feat. As such it was the first deliberately planned voyage of the globe. Having set out with his three ships, the English raided three Spanish settlements and captured or burned thirteen ships. Among these was a rich 600 ton

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships ...

, a

Manila Galleon fil, Galyon ng Maynila , english_name = Manila Galleon , duration = From 1565 to 1815 (250 years) , venue = Between Manila and Acapulco , location = New Spain (Spanish Empire) ...

called ''Santa Ana'' (also called ''Santa Anna''); the biggest treasure haul that ever fell into English hands. With only one ship left, Cavendish returned to England on 9 September 1588 completing a full

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Magel ...

of the earth in record time. The voyage itself was hugely successful and made Cavendish rich from captured Spanish gold, silk and treasure from the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

and the

Spanish Philippines Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries ** Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, C ...

. Cavendish was subsequently knighted by Queen

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

Background

On 15 December 1577 the English pirate

set sail from

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

to raid Spanish treasure ships and settlements in the Americas. Drake had investors in the voyage in the hope that they could make a profit from the plunder that the English would capture. After nearly three years at sea Drake in the Golden Hinde returned to England in 26 September 1580 and had accomplished the feat of circumnavigating the globe. The investors had made huge profits from the voyage, and there was a desire to launch more expeditions in the same manner. Drake was subsequently knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. After Drake's voyage, the Spanish felt vulnerable in their colonies and so began to better prepare their settlements against attack by the English, which they knew that they would attack again.

Francisco de Toledo Francisco Álvarez de Toledo ( Oropesa, 10 July 1515 – Escalona, 21 April 1582), also known as ''The Viceroyal Solon'', was an aristocrat and soldier of the Kingdom of Spain and the fifth Viceroy of Peru. Often regarded as the "best of Pe ...

began to build a series of fortifications on the coast of the southern tip of South America and established 'la Armada del Mar del Sur' (the Southern Fleet) in the port of

El Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Call ...

. With Drake's attacks and English involvement in the Dutch Revolt this increased the annoyance of King

Philip II of Spain Philip II) in Spain, while in Portugal and his Italian kingdoms he ruled as Philip I ( pt, Filipe I). (21 May 152713 September 1598), also known as Philip the Prudent ( es, Felipe el Prudente), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal fro ...

, and Anglo-Spanish relations continued to deteriorate, eventually moving towards open war. After the execution of

Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Sco ...

, a Catholic rival to Elizabeth's throne, the inevitable war began in 1585. Thomas Cavendish meanwhile, a

commoner A commoner, also known as the ''common man'', ''commoners'', the ''common people'' or the ''masses'', was in earlier use an ordinary person in a community or nation who did not have any significant social status, especially a member of neither ...

, had inherited his father’s wealth aged twelve, and had used some of this money to purchase the ship ''Elizabeth''. He had joined the expedition fleet of Sir

Richard Grenville Sir Richard Grenville (15 June 1542 – 10 September 1591), also spelt Greynvile, Greeneville, and Greenfield, was an English privateer and explorer. Grenville was lord of the manors of Stowe, Cornwall and Bideford, Devon. He subsequently ...

on his journey to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

in 1585 and in the process capturing a 400-ton Spanish galleon ''Santa Maria de San Vicente''. Cavendish with the experience he gained was determined to follow Drake by raiding Spanish colonial ports and ships, and also attempt to circumnavigate the globe. He planned his own voyage, mortgaging all his lands and raising upwards of some £10,000. After getting permission for his proposed raids Cavendish built a larger 120 ton

, with eighteen

guns A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, ...

, named the ''

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like " wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of aff ...

''. He was joined by the sixty ton, ten gun ship ''Content'', and the forty ton supply ship ''Hugh Gallant''. In total the complement of the expedition was 123 men and boys, some of whom had been with Drake on his voyage around the world. Taking part in the voyage were Francis Pretty a

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include L ...

gentleman, sailor and diarist, the mathematician and geographer Robert Hues with "purposely for taking the true

Latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north po ...

of places"; and the merchant

Thomas Eldred Thomas Eldred (1561–1624) was an English merchant and mariner.Thomas Eldred's biography

. The complement also included workmen who brought with them tools, a portable forge and large quantities of salt to preserve food along the way.

Voyage

On 21 July 1586 Cavendish left

Plymouth Sound Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a deep inlet or sound in the English Channel near Plymouth in England. Description Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point in Devon, a distance of abo ...

with the three ships. Five days later, off

Cape Finisterre Cape Finisterre (, also ; gl, Cabo Fisterra, italic=no ; es, Cabo Finisterre, italic=no ) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain. In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like ...

they were involved in a minor skirmish with five Biscayne ships at long range for nearly three hours that only ended when darkness set in and contact was lost. Sailing past the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mo ...

they reached the West African coast (present day

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

) on 21 August. Eleven days were spent there procuring provisions and water. Whilst there they met the locals and even joined in with dances and festivities in the night. Cavendish intended to capture a Portuguese ship but due to a miscommunication with the natives they in turn burned the native village instead, carrying off with what little loot they could find. The natives retaliated by firing poisoned arrows one of which hit one the English sailors and who later died from the effects before they sailed off.

Across to South America

In early September Cavendish departed the shores of Africa and began to cross the Atlantic for Portuguese Brazil. After watering in the

Cape Verde Islands , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

, on November 1, 1586 the English reached one of the many islands off São Sebastião, there he took on water and built a pinnace before heading further South four days later. By mid December Cavendish sailed further down the South American East coast and came into an estuary and a suitable harbour. He named this as Port Desire, after his flagship, and met only a few Native Americans, who shot arrows that wounded some of the crew. Having found little fresh water Cavendish sailed on and soon reached the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pa ...

on 6 January 1587 where they soon encountered heavy swells from a storm.

Strait of Magellan

Entering the Strait of Magellan, Cavendish's three vessels passed the

Segunda Angostura Segunda Angostura is a sound of the Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. ...

, the narrowest points of the Straits. The English anchored first at the island of Santa Magdalena. There, in two hours, they killed and salted two barrels-full of

penguin Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...

s for food. Following this they reached

Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa (1532–1592) was a Spanish explorer, author, historian, mathematician, and astronomer. His birthplace is not certain and may have been Pontevedra, in Galicia, where his paternal family originated, or Alcalá de Henare ...

's now ruined settlement of Rey don Felipe by 19 January. Incredibly there were twelve men and three women out of the original 400 Spanish settlers. Cavendish cruelly refused them any assistance except for Tomé Hernandez a veteran pilot that Cavendish intended to make use of. He removed six cannons and then renamed the place 'Port Famine'. Cavendish sailed in the second half of the Strait and then managed extensive exploration of the many inlets, labyrinths, intricate channels of the islands and broken lands of

Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla ...

and its environs. On 24 February they emerged from the strait into the Pacific and sailed up the western coast South America.

Raids on Spanish American West Coast

Cavendish however soon ran into a storm - this pushed the ships further north, the ''Hugh Gallant'' was then separated from the other two ships. The storm lasted for nearly four days making it impossible for the men to sleep. They finally reached Santa María Island on 15 March. Having landing a party of seventy men the Natives there greeted them with kindness supplying them with food and received in return entertainment in the captain's ship. They then traded supplies with the natives who had valuable captured Spanish goods. Days later the ''Hugh Gallant'' appeared and reunited with the others between Santa Maria Island and the mainland.

Concepción, Arica and Paita

The Englishmen steered north toward

Mocha Island Mocha Island ( es, link=no, Isla Mocha ) is a small Chilean island located west of the coast of Arauco Province in the Pacific Ocean. The island is approximately in area, with a small chain of mountains running roughly in north-south direction. ...

, which they sighted on 24 March - by the end of the month they had arrived at

Quintero Quintero is a Chilean city and commune in Valparaíso Province, in the Valparaíso Region, 30 kilometers north of Valparaíso. The commune spans an area of . It was the first port in the country, created during the expedition of Diego de Al ...

, having overshot Valparaiso a place which they intended to stop at. They anchored just off Concepción; here they had an encounter with Spaniards on horseback, but they only watched the English from a distance. Cavendish travelled some eight miles inland, declaring the valley area to be 'very fruitful'. Tomé Hernandez was sent to parley with the local population but this turned out to be a betrayal as he instead made his escape. He warned the local Spanish inhabitants, who grouped together numbering nearly 200 then launched an ambush on the English whilst they were collecting water. The Spanish were eventually driven off with the loss of twenty four men, but not before the English had lost seven men killed and nine captured. Cavendish however stayed in Quintero Bay before leaving April 5 heading towards the port of

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the cap ...

and entering the tropic zone. Portret van Thomas Cavendish, RP-P-1882-A-6507

Before reaching Arica Cavendish on 23 April came across a

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, b ...

loaded with

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are ...

and captured the vessel. It was renamed ''George'' given the proximity date of

Saint George's Day Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, and cities of which he is the patron saint, including Bulgaria, England, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Cáceres, Alcoy, Aragon and Catalonia. Sa ...

. ''George'' was subsequently incorporated into the squadron. The following morning a large Spanish ship and four barks were captured off Arica. Arriving at Arica Cavendish saw the town ready for its defence and even exchanged shot with the Spanish shore batteries. A design of landing and storming the town was abandoned but another three ships were burned in the harbour before the English sailed northwest two days later. Cargo included barrels of Chilean wine and various dispatches and a Greek pilot Jorge Carandino of

Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is ...

. Cavendish resorted to torture in order to oblige prisoners to disclose the contents of letter that they had thrown overboard. On 14 May Cavendish reached

Pisco Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber colored brandy produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternativ ...

and intercepted two Spanish merchantmen three days later, which he pillaged and burned. Using the port as a base to re-victual the English ships then dispersed to carry out independent actions of their own - two days later the ''Hugh Gallant'' captured a vessel of 300 tons bringing in timber from

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

but abandoned her to sink because she was taking on water. The ''Hugh Gallant'' then descended upon

Paita Paita is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the capital of the Paita Province which is in the Piura Region. It is a leading seaport in the region. Paita is located 1,089 km northwest of the country's capital Lima, and 57 km northwest o ...

four days later having a captured a bark in the harbour. Sixty men from the ship waded ashore to occupy the town while its 300 inhabitants fled inland. Threatened with a ransom the citizens refused to raise any, so the English set the dwellings ablaze before sailing north robbing the inhabitants of some twenty five pounds in sliver pesos.

Puna Island and Huatulco

With the ships reunited they all dropped anchor off

Puná Island Puná Island (Spanish: ''Isla Puná''), is an island just off the coast of southern Ecuador at approximately 80 degrees west longitude and 3 degrees south latitude. It is located at the head of the Gulf of Guayaquil, south of the mouth of the Gu ...

on 25 May - Cavendish intended to careen and repair the ships. The crew noted the idyllic nature of the island with plenty of fruit. When they landed however about sixteen of Cavendish's men were surprised by a large group Spaniards and Indians having come from

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, Pichincha ...

. Under Captain Juan de Galarza, they initially scattered the English and more skirmishes followed. The English however gained the upper hand when Cavendish landed with more men and drove off the Spanish killing some 46 or a loss of nine sailors killed and three more captured. Cavendish then ordered all of Puná's buildings, ships and crops burned. Some 300 buildings were set on fire, a ship of 250 tons was burnt at anchor whilst four more on the stocks were looted and then burnt; the church was also burnt and its bells carried away. The English stayed making sure everything of value was taken before sailing on. Whilst in an inlet near Guayaquil on 5 June, a decision was made to abandon the ''Hugh Gallant'' and the ''George'' due to lack of men to crew both and that repairs would take longer. They stripped both vessels of iron, canvas and anything useful before setting both alight, and departed eleven days later. The held a northerly course for over month before sighting

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( es, Virreinato de Nueva España, ), or Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Am ...

North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone

News of the raids reached

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

by early July, and two ships were sent out to intercept the English raiders but they were two weeks late. In addition news reached Álvaro Manrique de Zúñiga the

Viceroy of New Spain The following is a list of Viceroys of New Spain. In addition to viceroys, the following lists the highest Spanish governors of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, before the appointment of the first viceroy or when the office of viceroy was vacant. ...

but again did not reach him in time so was unable to commit to any orders. On July 9 Cavendish captured a vessel - although it was without cargo one of the captured pilots Michael Sancius revealed that a

Manila galleon fil, Galyon ng Maynila , english_name = Manila Galleon , duration = From 1565 to 1815 (250 years) , venue = Between Manila and Acapulco , location = New Spain (Spanish Empire) ...

was expected in October or November 1587 and usually stopped at

Cabo San Lucas Cabo San Lucas (, " Saint Luke Cape"), or simply just Cabo, is a resort city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As at the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 202,694 inhabit ...

on the

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

peninsula before going on to

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has ...

.More evidence of this emerged when soon after another vessel was taken which was supposed to have warned the galleon of impending English raiders. Two weeks later Cavendish entered the river River Copalita several leagues from

Huatulco Huatulco (; ''wah-TOOL-coh''), formally Bahías de Huatulco, centered on the town of La Crucecita, is a tourist development in Mexico. It is located on the Pacific coast in the state of Oaxaca. Huatulco's tourism industry is centered on its nine ...

during the night a pinnace was sent with thirty men during the journey up the river they captured a bark from

Sonsonate Sonsonate () is a city and municipality of El Salvador. It is the capital of the department of Sonsonate; on the Sensunapan River and the Pan-American Highway from San Salvador to the Pacific port of Acajutla, south. Pop. (2007), about 71,541. ...

laden with cacao and

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', ...

. On 2 August Cavendish himself appeared at Huatulco and captured the place and looted everything within seven miles over the course of a week. The raids proved profitable and before departing he set the buildings ablaze and did the same to a merchant vessel in the harbour before heading further north.

Barra de Navidad, Acatlan and Chacala

Cavendish next landed at Barra de Navidad on 24 August. The English imprisoned the Spanish lookout and then destroyed two ships of 200 tons each, which were being built by Antonio del Castillo and Juan Toscano and were about to be launched. The English sailors also captured a messenger who carried the viceroy's warning of the English presence before setting fire to any of the buildings at the mouth of the lagoon. On September 5 Cavendish sailed to the deserted bays of Santiago and Salagua near Manzanillo. The English stayed for a week taking on water and other provisions - they also amused themselves with swimming and diving for pearls. Moving up to the coast Cavendish weighed anchor at Tenacatitia Bay and took thirty men inland to the village of Acatlan where they burned most of the houses and defaced the church. Leaving the bay on September 14 Cavendish moved on to Chacala a sheltered bay but found very little. They did capture two prisoners - they held them hostage in order for others to bring them food so they could release them. The locals complied and having loaded fresh fruits, bread and other food Cavendish continued voyage. After leaving Chacala on September 20 Cavendish then sailed past Compostela and anchored in one of the islands of Tres Marias staying for five days where some

iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his ...

s and birds were caught. On October 4 the two English ships moved off and in need of repairs anchored in the port of

Mazatlán Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding '' municipio'', known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip ...

where they were careened and weight shifted (trimming). Cavendish then headed to the southwestern tip of

, and spent over a month at a place he called 'Aguada Segura' which can be identified as San Lucas Bay or

San José del Cabo San José del Cabo (, ''Saint Joseph of the Cape'') is a city located in southern Baja California Sur state, Mexico. It is the seat of Los Cabos Municipality lying at a shallow bay northeast of Cabo San Lucas on the Gulf of California. The city h ...

. Here Cavendish was determined to wait for the Manila galleon. The Manila galleons were restricted by the

Spanish Monarch , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

to one or two ships/year and typically carried all the goods accumulated in the

in a year's worth of trading silver, from the

Mints A mint or breath mint is a food item often consumed as an after-meal refreshment or before business and social engagements to improve breath odor. Mints are commonly believed to soothe the stomach given their association with natural byproducts ...

in the Americas, with the Chinese and others, for spices, silk, gold and other expensive goods. In 1587 there were two Manila galleons: the ''San Francisco'' and the ''Santa Ana'' but both encountered a

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

on leaving the Philippines and were wrecked on the coast of Japan. Only the ''Santa Ana'' was salvageable and after repairs resumed her voyage.

Capture of the Galleon ''Santa Ana''

View of El Arco and the Bay at Cabo San Lucas - panoramio

Early on 4 November 1587 one of Cavendish's lookouts spotted the 600 ton galleon manned with over 200 men off Cabo San Lucas. After a several hour chase the English ships overhauled the ''Santa Ana'', which conveniently had no cannons on board to allow more cargo. After several hours of battle during which Cavendish used his cannon to fire ball and grape shot into the galleon while the Spanish tried to fight back with small arms. The ''Santa Ana'' began to take heavy damage and was holed below the waterline a number of times. With his vessel taking on water the captain Tomás de Alzola refused to surrender but was begged upon by

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

(

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...

) Alonso de Valladolid to plead for the life of his crew in exchange for the goods on board the ''Santa Ana''. Realising he had no choice, de Alzola struck his colours and surrendered. The cost was small – two English were killed with another ten wounded, whilst the Spanish had suffered twelve killed and fifty wounded. The victorious English grappled the ship and towed into Aguada Segura. The ships were then lashed together and the prize was consolidated. With the great disparity in size, the ''Content'' and ''Desire'' had to pick and choose what rich cargo they wanted to transfer to their ships from the much larger ''Santa Ana''. One hundred and ninety Spaniards (including

Sebastián Vizcaíno Sebastián Vizcaíno (1548–1624) was a Spanish soldier, entrepreneur, explorer, and diplomat whose varied roles took him to New Spain, the Baja California peninsula, the California coast and Asia. Early career Vizcaíno was born in 154 ...

later explorer of the California coast and

Juan de Fuca Juan de Fuca (10 June 1536, Cefalonia 23 July 1602, Cefalonia)Greek Consulate of Vancouver,Greek Pioneers: Juan de Fuca. was a Greek pilot who served PhilipII of Spain. He is best known for his claim to have explored the Strait of Aniánno ...

later explorer of the North American West coast), and Filipino crewmen were captured. Cavendish kept with him two

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

sailors named Christopher and Cosmas as well as three boys from

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...

, one of them a

Negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

. In addition a

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

traveller Nicholas Roderigo familiar with China and the pilot Alonso de Valladolid both defected and were willing to work with the English. The prisoners helped load all the gold (about 100 troy pounds or 122,000

pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar ...

' worth) and the English picked through the silks,

damask Damask (; ar, دمشق) is a reversible patterned fabric of silk, wool, linen, cotton, or synthetic fibers, with a pattern formed by weaving. Damasks are woven with one warp yarn and one weft yarn, usually with the pattern in warp-faced satin ...

musk Musk ( Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial s ...

s (used in

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. ...

manufacture),

spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

s, wines and the ship's supplies for what they could carry. It was claimed that the total value of the cargo was about 2,100,000 pesos. English sailors helped themselves to the cargo before the rest of less value was thrown overboard. The Spanish crew were released and given fresh provisions, water and wine; even weapons to defend themselves against native attacks. On 17 November, Queene's Day, the English celebrated that evening with the victory they had won – gorging themselves on wine and food. The ship's guns were discharged and there was display of fireworks – the culmination was the ''Santa Ana'' being set on fire and left adrift burning. ''Desire'' and ''Content'' sailed away the following day to continue their voyage north. After the fire on ''Santa Ana'' had gone out, the Spanish survivors then managed to build a raft from the remains and used it to summon help from nearby

Colima Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima i ...

. They were eventually rescued and carried into

on 7 December and gave news of the capture.

Across the Pacific Ocean

Upon reaching the

Gulf of California The Gulf of California ( es, Golfo de California), also known as the Sea of Cortés (''Mar de Cortés'') or Sea of Cortez, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea (''Mar Bermejo''), is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja C ...

in October Cavendish and his two ships put in at an island above Mazatlan where they careened their ships. After this was done the ''Desire'' and ''Content'' sailed away on 17 November 1587 to begin their voyage across the Pacific Ocean. After they sailed off ''Content'' separated from ''Desire'' during the night. Cavendish assumed they had returned to England but ''Content'' and her crew was never heard or seen again and last seen heading North. After a quick crossing of the Pacific Ocean, Cavendish and the ''Desire'' arrived at the island of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic ce ...

on 3 January 1588. There he traded iron tools for fresh supplies, water and wood, supplied by the natives before setting off Westward.

Spanish Philippines

Cavendish, sailed past the Mariana Islands heading towards the

. Touching at northeastern

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

on 14 January ''Desire '' passed through the narrow

San Bernardino Strait The San Bernardino Strait ( fil, Kipot ng San Bernardino) is a strait in the Philippines, connecting the Samar Sea with the Philippine Sea. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon island from the island of Samar in the south. History During ...

into the

Sibuyan Sea The Sibuyan Sea is a small sea in the Philippines that separates the Visayas from the northern Philippine island of Luzon. It is bounded by the island of Panay to the south, Mindoro to the west, Masbate to the east, and to the north Marinduque a ...

, then sailed south to

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and has a total population of 4,542,926 as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City o ...

. Having arrived not far off

the English realised they were not strong enough to attack the capital. The Portuguese pilot Roderigo on board then claimed that the Spanish pilot Tome de Alzola was trying to get his fellow countryman via a letter to the natives from Manilla to attack from the shore. Sure enough the letter was discovered - in it was Cavendish's depredations, present location and a plea for help. Alzola denied the accusations but under torture soon confessed - he was then hanged from the yard arm the following morning. Soon after there was a need to stock up on provisions and so searched for a place that was adequate and free of Spanish. ''Desire'' anchored off the island of

Capul Capul, officially the Municipality of Capul ( war, Bungto han Capul; tl, Bayan ng Capul), is a 5th class island municipality in the province of Northern Samar, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,323 people. A li ...

where Cavendish spent several days with a native chief who traded them with vegetables, hens and hogs for linen and captured Spanish specie. Due to the ''Desire's'' valuable cargo Cavendish was reluctant to attack other vessels. Cavendish did manage to raid a large villa belonging to Bishop Domingo de Salazar looting the contents. An attempt to make a surprise attack on a galleon under construction at Areval shipyard ended in failure when the landing party was discovered early on; they promptly returned to ''Desire'' without loss. Cavendish nevertheless picked up a great deal of information on Japan and the Chinese coast which he hoped to use on a future expedition. A large map of China also came into his possession.

Java

Cavendish was now eager to return to England, and after leaving the Philippines they passed the

Moluccas The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located ...

, the island of

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

and arrived on the island of

Lombok Lombok is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is ...

on 1 March. Five days later he anchored on the West end of the island of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

at Palabuhanratu Bay. A frosty reception from the natives soon turned friendly thanks to a Negro sailor who had been aboard the ''Santa Anna''. He spoke a dialect of

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

that the natives could understand, and through him the English were able to obtain food and water in the four days they were there. The Chief of the natives was entertained by the English on board the ''Desire'' with music being played for him. Two Portuguese visitors from a nearby factory also visited after news of the English arrival. They were friendly to the English and were welcomed aboard having been concerned of their king's fate. They explained that the Spanish had informed them that their King

António, Prior of Crato António, Prior of Crato (; 153126 August 1595; sometimes called ''The Determined'', ''The Fighter'', ''The Independentist'' or ''The Resistant''), was a grandson of King Manuel I of Portugal who claimed the Portuguese throne during the 1580 ...

was dead. They rejoiced when Cavendish told them that their king was very much alive and in England. The Portuguese men gave plenty of detail regarding the politics in the region and the riches of Java. The natives also promised a kind reception on the Englishman's return.

Indian Ocean to Saint Helena

On March 16 Cavendish bade farewell to the natives and Portuguese of Java and sailed Westward across the

Indian ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

. The voyage was swift until May 10 when a storm struck and soon after ''Desire'' was becalmed. Four days later through the mist they came across

False Bay False Bay ( Afrikaans ''Valsbaai'') is a body of water in the Atlantic Ocean between the mountainous Cape Peninsula and the Hottentots Holland Mountains in the extreme south-west of South Africa. The mouth of the bay faces south and is dema ...

off Southern Africa where they watered and gathered fruit (Cavendish mistook this for the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

). ''Desire'' set off without encountering any storms they headed North into the Atlantic only stopping at the island of

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three consti ...

on 8 June. Intending to gather for supplies, Cavendish became the first Englishman known to have visited the island (though

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 ...

may have preceded him), which at the time was occupied by the Portuguese, although none were encountered at the time. Here the ship was careened and re-victualled with turkeys,

partridge A partridge is a medium-sized galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They are sometimes grouped in the Perdic ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of ...

s and wild hogs that had populated the island. Cavendish was able to stay for two weeks exploring the island making detailed notes on the islands steep valleys and numerous fruit trees.

Return to England

About the end of August they passed the

Azores ) , motto= ( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem=( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

and on 3 September met a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium ...

hulk from Lisbon which informed them of the defeat of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an a ...

much to the Englishmen's great rejoicing. Early in September Cavendish with his remaining ship ''Desire'' and men entered the

English channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kan ...

. They were hit by a storm as they entered which blew out the sails but having just missed the passing of the ships of the Armada who had encountered the same storm as they were heading towards Santander. Nevertheless, on 9 September the ''Desire'' finally sailed into the harbour at Plymouth to much rejoicing from the local populace. Cavindasch

Aftermath

Cavendish at the age of twenty eight became the second Englishmen to circumnavigate the globe. The ''Desire'' was only the third ship to circumnavigate the globe after the ''Victoria'' of

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( or ; pt, Fernão de Magalhães, ; es, link=no, Fernando de Magallanes, ; 4 February 1480 – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer. He is best known for having planned and led the 1519 Spanish expedition to the Eas ...

(journey completed by Juan Sebastián Elcano) and the ''

Golden Hind ''Golden Hind'' was a galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580. She was originally known as ''Pelican,'' but Drake renamed her mid-voyage in 1578, in honour of his patron, Sir Christopher Ha ...

'' of

. Cavendish and Drake's reconnaissance work in the East Indies had laid the foundation for further privateering to even more distant zones of conflict. Cavendish's voyage was a huge success financially, but more importantly it was a huge propaganda coup. The circumnavigation along with the capture of the Spanish galleon ''Santa Ana'', the safe return of the ''Desire'' and the recent defeat of the

which had only taken place a few months before was celebrated throughout England and even spurred on other explorers. Cavendish himself was the object of wide popular acclaim celebrated in numerous songs and ballads. After rest and recuperation the ''Desire'' with the crew was then paraded up the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

through

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, displaying her new sails of blue

. Cavendish was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I who was invited to a dinner aboard the ''Desire''. He was also warmly received at court by the Queen and was significantly enriched by the adventure. Cavendish's circumnavigation of the globe had been completed in two years and 49 days; nine months faster than Drake, although, like Drake, Cavendish returned with only one of his ships, the ''Desire'' with a crew of about 48 men. The expedition had suffered some thirty casualties but the survival rate among the crew was 76 percent which was high. For the Spanish Cavendish's intervention into the closed realms of the Pacific struck a second blow to their prestige. Bishop Salazar in the Philippines bitterly complained in a letter to King Philip II that ''an English youth at about 22 years, with a wretched little vessel of about 100 tuns, 40 to 50 companions boasted of the damage he had wrought, and went away laughing''. Title page of Beschryvinge vande overtreffelijcke ende wydtvermaerde zee-vaerdt vanden edelen heer ende meester Thomas Candisch

Title page of Beschryvinge vande overtreffelijcke ende wydtvermaerde zee-vaerdt vanden edelen heer ende meester Thomas Candisch

Cavendish sailed on a second expedition in August 1591, accompanied by the navigator John Davis. They went further south to the Strait of Magellan and then returned to Brazil, where they hid and re provisioned in

Ilhabela Ilhabela ( Portuguese for ''Beautiful Island'') is an archipelago and city situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of São Paulo state in Brazil. The city is from the city of São Paulo and from the city of Rio de Janeiro. The largest isl ...

and looted Santos and São Vicente. Cavendish set off across the Atlantic towards

with the remainder of the crew, but died of unknown causes at age 31, possibly off

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory o ...

in the South Atlantic in 1592. Due to the dubious legality of the expedition (as with Drake's Circumnavigation) Francis Pretty's accounts were officially suppressed; the earliest unofficial accounts were published in Dutch by Emanuel van Meteren who purchased both Drake and Cavendish's diaries and mixed elements of one with the other. Excerpts of both diaries were also included in

Richard Hakluyt Richard Hakluyt (; 1553 – 23 November 1616) was an English writer. He is known for promoting the English colonization of North America through his works, notably ''Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America'' (1582) and ''The Pri ...

's 1582 and 1589 treatises on British explorations of North America, before he published the Cavendish diary in its entirety in 1600. The Dutch were next to attempt Drake's and Cavendish's feat - Simon de Cordes and Oliver Van Noort completed their raids of circumnavigation against the Spanish. The next English circumnavigation of the globe would not take place until a century later when

William Dampier William Dampier (baptised 5 September 1651; died March 1715) was an English explorer, pirate, privateer, navigator, and naturalist who became the first Englishman to explore parts of what is today Australia, and the first person to circumna ...

became the first person to circumnavigate the world three times.

Legacy

Puerto Deseado in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

is named after Cavendish's flagship ''Desire''. It also has a point of land at the harbour mouth which is still known as Punta Cavendish.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{cite book , last1=Young , first1=Delbert Alton , title=According to Hakluyt: Tales of Adventure and Exploration , date=1973 , publisher=Irwin, Clarke, isbn=9780772005878 History of the Royal Navy Military campaigns involving England Prize warfare Piracy in the Pacific Ocean Piracy 1586 1587 1588 Commerce raiders Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) Military expeditions Expeditions from Great Britain Global expeditions Circumnavigations Exploration of South America History of Chile History of Mexico