The ''Golden Hind''

By Crusader1307

While technically this ship of Sir Francis Drake was a “Privateer” (or legal Pirate under a King or Queen's commission), The Golden Hind (originally called “The Pelican”), had two important roles in history. First, The Hind was the first ship to successfully circumnavigate The World. Second, The Hind was one of England's most successful Privateers. She laid claim to over 360,000 pieces of Spanish Gold and untold amounts of related treasure. The Hind was also instrumental in the capture and taking of the Spanish Ship “Concepcion” - which yielded almost 150,00o pieces of treasure. Her Captain, Francis Drake was one of Queen Elizabeth Is most favorite “rascals” - even Knighting him for his bravery (and increasing her treasury). The Hind displaced around 150-200 tons and was 102 feet long.

She had a 20 foot height (a beam). She was a wind powered vessel capable of 8-knots (or 15 mph). Normally crewed with between 80 to 85 sailors, The Hind also mounted 22 guns of various poundage. After The Hind's last “”haul” of “The Concepcion”, it was speculated it took some 6 hours to unload her treasure. The Hind became an important attraction for many, being placed on display for almost 100 years. She eventually rotted to a point of being broken up and discarded. Several replicas have been re-constructed (in the 1940s and 1990s). The last “replica” Hind was dismantled in 2013.