Drake, Sir Francis
(c. 1540-Jan. 28, 1596). Celebrated navigator. He was born near Tavistock, Devonshire, England. He probably anchored at San Francisco Bay on June 17, 1579. On June 21, 1579, Francis Fletcher, Drake's chaplain, celebrated the eucharist at Drake's Bay, near San Francisco, for the crew of the Pelican. This may have been the first BCP service in what is now the continental United States. Drake died near Portobelo, Venezuela.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.