THOMAS CAVENDISH

Thomas Cavendish was born in 1560 and at the age of 32, died. As a man, Cavendish became an English navigator. Although he became known for many things, one of the first and most important was his command of a ship in the flotilla, which was under the control of Sir Richard Grenville. Grenville had been sent in 1685 by the famous Sir Walter Raleigh on a quest to establish the first colony in the state of Virginia.

By 1586, Cavendish had proven himself a worthy navigator, which awarded him command of three vessels. With this, he sailed from England, heading out on a worldwide voyage, which was his third. This particular voyage would take him across the coast of West Africa, heading to Patagonia. Once there, Cavendish made a discovery - a wonderful harbor that he went on to name Port Desire.

The Spanish towns were ravaged by Cavendish and his men. From that time forward, shipping done on South America's west coast became big business. From there, Cavendish continued on his journey, taking a route that would take him through the Philippines, the East Indies, and then the Cape of Good Hope. At that time in 1588, Cavendish and his vessels headed back to England. This particular voyage had taken over two years to complete.

However, a second voyage by ship would begin just three years later in 1591. While things started out promising, Cavendish's dreams of another success were quickly dashed. Disastrously, his entire fleet, which included five ships, were scattered about, losing contact and presumably being destroyed. Unfortunately, Cavendish met his death at sea.