English ship Bonaventure (1567)
| History | |
|---|---|
 England
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| Name: | Bonaventure |
| Commissioned: | purchased for Navy, 1567 |
| Fate: | Unknown |
| Notes: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Armed ship |
| Tons burthen: | 300 / 550 |
| Armament: |
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Bonaventure (also known as Elizabeth Bonaventure) was a 47-gun galleon purchased by the Royal Navy in 1567. She was the third vessel to bear the name. She was commanded by Sir Francis Drake during his 1587 attack on Cadiz, and a year later was part of the fleet to face the Spanish Armada.
The ship took part in Francis Drakes Great Expedition to raid the Spanish New World in 1585 to 86 attacking Santo Domingo, Cartagena de Indias and San Augustin.
After the execution in February 1587 of Mary, Queen of Scots, Philip II of Spain decided that it was time to invade England, and started to prepare his armada.Elizabeth Bonaventure, under the command of Francis Drake was sent as flagship of the English fleet to try to prevent and/or delay the armada. The fleet numbered roughly twenty-six vessels, which included three more of the Queen's ships in addition to Elizabeth Bonaventure; Golden Lion, Dreadnought and Rainbow, three tall ships of the Levant Company, seven men-of-war of 150–200 tons and eleven or twelve smaller vessels. His orders from the Queen were:
"to prevent the joining together of the King of Spain's fleet out of their different ports. To keep victuals from them. To follow them in case they should come out towards England or Ireland. To cut off as many of them as he could, and prevent their landing. To set upon the West Indian ships as they came or went."
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Wikipedia