The Golden Hinde is an exact scale, 120 foot fully operational reconstruction of Sir Francis Drake's square rigged galleon which was the first ship to sail around the world between 1577 and 1580. There never were any plans for the original Golden Hind. In those days ships were built without plans, by eye and rule of thumb. The present Golden Hinde (spelled the way used by Drake) is a serious reconstruction of Drake's ship, based on all available historical data, shipbuilding rules of the period and pictorial representations.

The Golden Hinde was built between 1971-73 at the J. Hinks & Son Shipyard in Appledore, Devon, England as a fully working 'museum' ship for educational purposes for the Crowley Maritime Corporation of San Francisco. The ship contains five levels of deck including the gun deck and 22 working replica cannons. Shipbuilding methods and materials of the period were followed in most respects and the ship has many artifacts of the period on board.

This real sailing galleon has made a circumnavigation of the world, has visited over 300 ports worldwide touring Europe and North America and sailed over 140,000 miles. Many millions of visitors have explored her five decks and experienced the feel, noises and smells of a working Elizabethan galleon, complete with a crew dressed in period clothes like those worn by 16th century sailors.

After opening her gangplank to the public in several English ports, including London, the Golden Hinde set sail in 1974 for San Francisco, her intended permanent port. Drake had sailed past the Bay of San Francisco in 1579 and anchored just north of it. When the number of visitors began to fall after a few years the owners chartered the galleon for the filming in Japan of the television series Shogun, in which she played the role of Erasmus. She sailed to Japan via Hawaii in 1979. After filming she sailed back to England via Hong Kong and the Mediterranean.

From 1980 to 1985 she visited a large number of British ports before going to the West Indies, after which she went to Vancouver for Expo '86'. Until July 1990 she visited 60 US West Coast ports before sailing to the US East Coast then back to England where she can again be found in London. She is now the Golden Hinde Sailing Museum at Saint Mary Overie Dock berthed in Bankside between London Bridge and Shakespear's Globe and beside Southwark Cathedral. She is open daily for school groups, guided tours, private & corporate events, family gatherings and even Pirate Parties.