John Hawkins

Sir John Hawkins (1532–1595) was a Plymouth sea captain and naval administrator, born to a shipbuilding family. He worked in shipping and privateering until about 1559.

In the 1560s his voyages carried enslaved Africans to Spanish colonies in the Caribbean, making him the first English merchant to profit from the Atlantic slave trade.

As Treasurer of the Navy he rebuilt Elizabeth's fleet for speed and firepower, and in 1588 he served as vice-admiral against the Spanish Armada and was knighted for the victory. After his son's capture by the Spanish, he and Drake raised a fleet against the Spanish West Indies, and he died at sea off Puerto Rico on 12 November 1595.