Sir Francis Drake (c.1540-1596), English explorer and pirate. He was the second man to circumnavigate the globe. After earning his fortune plundering Spanish ships in the Caribbean, Drake was sponsored by Queen Elizabeth I to lead an expedition to the Pacific (1577). The fleet was battered by storms in South America, but Drake continued alone in the Golden Hind, robbing Spanish vessels as he went. Within 3 years he had crossed the Pacific, rounded Africa and returned to England, where he was knighted in spite of Spanish demands for his punishment. He earned further distinction for helping to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588.