Quick answer
How was this voyage completed?
Drake's fleet left Plymouth in 1577 and passed through the Strait of Magellan in 1578. Along South America's Pacific coast it attacked Spanish ships and ports. Golden Hind then sailed north, crossed the Pacific through the Moluccas and Java, and returned around the Cape of Good Hope in September 1580—the second recorded completed circumnavigation.
- Years
- 1577—1580
- Command
- Francis Drake
- Ships
- A multi-ship fleet at departure; Golden Hind completed the circuit
- Objective
- Privateering, reconnaissance and attempted trade within Anglo-Spanish rivalry
- Result
- A second recorded circumnavigation and immense prize wealth
Itinerary
Principal route stops
Stops come from verifiable voyage records. Open-ocean segments show sequence; daily coordinates remain unknown.
- 01December 1577
Plymouth
The fleet departs
- 021578
Atlantic and Port San Julián
The ships move south as Drake consolidates command through internal conflict
- 03August—September 1578
Strait of Magellan
The expedition enters the Pacific and is scattered by storms
- 041578—1579
Pacific coast of South America
Spanish shipping and ports become the main targets
- 051579
Pacific coast of North America
Golden Hind repairs and stages the Nova Albion claim
- 061579—1580
Moluccas and Java
The ship crosses the Pacific and negotiates its way into the Indian Ocean
- 07September 1580
Plymouth
Golden Hind returns by way of the Cape
The route struck the less-defended side of Spain's empire
Spanish Pacific shipping expected less English attack than Atlantic routes did. Once through the strait, Drake seized vessels carrying silver, gold and commercial information.
Privateering was not cargo picked up along an exploration route. It was a central objective that supplied profit, intelligence and some of the means to continue.
Turning west offered escape as well as circumnavigation
Returning through the strait risked storms and Spanish interception. Golden Hind instead searched north, repaired at Nova Albion and crossed toward Asian trade. The exact North American stop remains debated.
In the Moluccas, Drake dealt with local powers before nearly losing the ship on a reef. Global return required bargaining and established routes as well as English instruments.
Captured knowledge travelled with captured wealth
Charts, pilots, questioning and supplies taken from prizes helped the crew navigate unfamiliar coasts. Coercion itself became a source of route information.
The fortune returned to England made the voyage a political triumph. Its navigational achievement and the losses imposed on attacked crews and communities are two sides of the same course.
Route reading
What is known—and what remains uncertain?
Reliable waypoints, disputed details and the voyage’s effects on trade, empire and local societies form separate parts of the record.
Golden Hind alone completed the route
Other vessels withdrew, separated or were lost before the Pacific and global stages.
Nova Albion's exact harbour remains open
A North American stop and English claim are recorded, but evidence supports a broad coastal area rather than one conclusive memorial site.
Prize-taking sustained the voyage and its returns
Attacks on the Spanish Pacific system were central to acquiring wealth, weakening a rival and financing the expedition.
Questions
Common questions
How long did the voyage last?
From December 1577 to September 1580, nearly three years.
How many ships completed it?
Only Golden Hind sailed the entire circuit.
Was it exploration or piracy?
It combined navigation, reconnaissance and privateering. England protected the attacks; Spain regarded them as piracy.
Why not return east through the Pacific and the strait?
The strait was dangerous and Spanish interception likely. Continuing west offered evasion and access to Asian opportunities.
Sources
Sources and further verification
The museums, archives, research institutions and international organizations below support this account.
- Sir Francis Drake factsRoyal Museums Greenwich
- Former Deptford Town Hall: historical note on Francis DrakeHistoric England
- Research guide: Exploration and discoveryRoyal Museums Greenwich
- Sir Francis Drake to Elizabeth IThe National Archives
Age of Seas editorial research records verifiable route sequence while leaving unknown daily coordinates unresolved.Editorial standards and corrections ↗