Francis Drake sailed from Plymouth on December 13, 1577, to begin the "Famous Voyage" during which he traversed the Strait of Magellan and discovered Drake passage south of Cape Horn. Drake then sailed the Golden Hinde north and in June 1579 landed in California, he took possession of that region for Queen Elizabeth naming it Nova Albion. He returned to Plymouth September 26, 1580, having circumnavigated the globe. Drake was knighted aboard the Golden Hinde at Deptford in the presence of Queen Elizabeth on April 4, 1581. This plaque was presented August, 1977, by the State of California Sir Francis Drake Commission in commemoration of the Quadricentennial of Drake's voyage around the world.