The Next Circumnavigation Of The Globe Took Place Nearly Years After The Return Of Magellan's Expedition

Only 18 men remained from the expedition's original crew of roughly 260 when the lone vessel Victoria returned to Spain in September 1522. It took 58 years before another expedition successfully circumnavigated the globe, since doing so finally proved to be a Herculean task and the Magellan mission's success was so implausible. This second voyage around the world, which was captained by the English navigator Sir Francis Drake, set sail in 1577 and essentially followed Magellan's itinerary.

Francis Drake was dispatched by Elizabeth I in 1577 to begin an expedition against the Spanish along the Pacific coast of the Americas. In November 1577, Drake sailed from Plymouth, England, on the Pelican, which he later changed to the Golden Hind. The Drake Passage, as it is now known, was traversed by the ship in September 1578 as it traveled south of Tierra del Fuego, South America's southernmost tip. Drakes Bay, California, also known as Alta California, is where Drake made his first landing in June 1579. It was north of Spain's most northern claim. In September 1580, Drake finished his circumnavigation of the globe and made history by becoming the first captain to do it. Drake's fleet was similarly decimated by the lengthy voyage, as was Magellan's armada, and only his flagship Golden Hind was left when he reached England in 1580.