The search for Sir Francis Drake's body NEWS
Some say he is the hero of 16th Century British foreign policy, others think of him as a ruthless pirate. Whatever the truth, his body is about to be uncovered off the coast of Panama.
Some say he is the hero of 16th Century British foreign policy, others think of him as a ruthless pirate...whatever the truth, his body is about to be uncovered off the coast of Panama.
Sir Francis Drake died at sea from Dysentery in 1596, he was buried at sea, clad in full armour and in a lead-lined coffin somewhere off the Panama coast. Famed for defeating the Spanish Armada's attack on Elizabethan England and being the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, Drake was knighted for his achievements.
Now, the owner of an American 'pirate museum' has decided to attempt a recovery of the two ships discovered close to Panama the 'The Elizabethan' and the 'The Delight' which both sank shortly after Drake's death. Drake's body is thought to be close by in Portobello Bay. After a successful naval career, Drake drifted into piracy and also became one of the earliest exponents of the slave trade, bringing African men to English colonies. Sadly, only British ships that sank after 1914 are fully protected by the 'Protection of Military Remains Act' 1986 so the vessel and the body's remains may end up in Florida rather than on British shores at Mr. Croce's 'Pirate and Treasure Museum' if his expedition is a success.
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