Golden Hind

Type

Galleon

Period

16th Century

Nation

Great Britain

Overview: The Golden Hind (originally named Pelican) was the galleon captained by Sir Francis Drake during his 1577-1580 circumnavigation of the globe, the first such voyage completed by an English commander. She was renamed Golden Hind mid-voyage, reportedly to honor a patron whose family crest featured a golden deer. Specifications: The original ship was a small galleon of roughly 100-150 tons burden (about 300 tons displacement), 102 feet long on deck with a 20-foot beam and 9-foot draught, carrying around 22 guns and a complement of 80-85 men. This small size for a vessel that achieved such a famous voyage is a notable point of interest for modelers. Service History: Drake used the Golden Hind primarily as a privateering vessel, raiding Spanish shipping and settlements along the Pacific coast of the Americas before continuing west across the Pacific and Indian Oceans to complete the circumnavigation. On her return, Queen Elizabeth I knighted Drake aboard the ship and ordered it preserved as a public attraction at Deptford, where it eventually rotted away and was broken up by the late 17th century. Notable Facts: No original plans survive, so modern replicas (including the 1973 Appledore-built vessel now moored at St Mary Overie Dock in London, and a separate static replica at Brixham, Devon) were reconstructed using period shipbuilding treatises such as Matthew Baker's "Proportiones for shippinge." The Golden Hinde was recorded on the UK Replica List as an operational hypothesis in 2012 and added to the National Register of Historic Vessels in 2024. The London replica sailed extensively, including its own circumnavigation and multiple Atlantic crossings, before being permanently berthed in 1996 as a Living History Museum ship.