Hawkins, Sir Richard definition of Hawkins, Sir Richard in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Hawkins, Sir Richard, 1562?–1622, English admiral, son of Sir John Hawkins. He served under Sir Francis Drake Drake, Sir Francis, 1540?–1596, English navigator and admiral, first Englishman to circumnavigate the world (1577–80).

Early Career

He was born in Devonshire, the son of a yeoman, and was at an early age apprenticed to a ship captain.
..... Click the link for more information. in the 1585–86 expedition to the West Indies, commanded the Swallow in the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and served under his father in 1590 in an unsuccessful expedition against Portugal. In 1593 he set out on an expedition in the ship Dainty, sailed down the Brazilian coast and through the Strait of Magellan, plundered Valparaiso, and took a number of prizes. However, he was captured (1594) by two Spanish ships, taken to Peru, and sent to Spain (1597), where he remained in prison until 1602. He was knighted (1603), served in Parliament (1604), and as vice admiral of Devon was active in defending the Devonshire coast from pirates. He also served in a disastrous expedition (1620–21) against the Barbary pirates.