Sea Dogs

The Sea Dogs were a group of sea-raiders authorized by Queen Elizabeth I of England. The Sea Dogs also engaged in slave trade and were also known as Elizabethan Pirates.

The Sea Dogs were essentially a military branch that were authorized by the Queen to attack the Spanish fleet and loot their ships in order to bring back riches and treasure. The Sea Dogs were able to do this because they carried "Letters of Marque" which made their plundering of Spanish ships legal (in their home country) despite the countries not officially being at war with one another. The Sea Dogs were initially started in 1560 as a way to bridge the gap and close the difference between the Spanish Navy and the British Navy. By having a small fleet of ships that would sail around and pick off Spanish ships, risking their lives and own ships in the process, they were able to reduce the funds and size of the Spanish navy significantly. The Sea Dogs continued carrying out raids against the Spanish until 1604 when England and Spain made peace. After that, many of the Sea Dogs continued as pirates employed by the Barbary States, in what would become the Anglo-Turkish piracy in the Caribbean.

Sir Francis Drake, El Draque (The Dragon), was one of the most profitable and successful sea dogs of all time. The captain of the Golden Hind, he served in the British Navy from 1563–1596 and achieved the rank of Vice Admiral. Drake was trained early on in the maritime arts by Sir John Hawkins, one of his relatives (cousin) and fellow slave traders. Drake also was the second man in history to circumnavigate the globe; robbing the Spanish fleet the whole time. Drake also had a huge range of coverage, raiding up the Spanish on the Pacific Coast all the way up to modern day San Francisco. Drake was a master pirate. Not only did he commandeer ships but he also would sail into ports in the Caribbean and put ransoms on cities. After doing this he would begin burning the city down until he received payment. Drake was awarded a knighthood in the year of 1581. He later died of dysentery after an unsuccessful attempt to take San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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