English ship Revenge (1577)

The Revenge was an English galleon built in 1577 and commanded by Sir Francis Drake during the Anglo-Spanish War. A relatively small but fast warship, she was one of the first ships built according to the designs of Sir John Hawkins.

She gained renown as part of the English fleet that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588. Commanded by Drake, the Revenge played a significant role in harassing and disrupting the larger Spanish vessels.

The Revenge met her end in 1591 under the command of Sir Richard Grenville during the Battle of Flores. While separated from the English fleet, she was attacked by a much larger Spanish force. Grenville and his crew fought valiantly for fifteen hours, inflicting heavy casualties on the Spanish before finally being overwhelmed and captured. Accounts vary, but Grenville died of his wounds shortly after capture, and the Revenge herself was lost in a storm soon after, never reaching Spain. The battle became a symbol of English courage and defiance against overwhelming odds. Her story has been immortalized in poetry, most famously by Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "The Revenge: A Ballad of the Fleet."