Before returning to England in 1586, he stopped at Roanoke Island near North Carolina, an English colony that had suffered severe hardships. He evacuated those colonists who desired to return to England, leaving a skeleton force that was later wiped out by Indians.
Vice Admiral during the English victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588, Drake led the English forces and was proclaimed a hero for his courageous fighting. He died during his last voyage to the West Indies with Sir John Hawkins and was buried at sea.
