Brixham lighthouse, Iron Age fort and national nature reserve. Warships have been seen in Torbay from the days of the Vikings, up until 1944 when part of the D-Day fleet sailed from here. In 1588, Brixham watched Sir Francis Drake attacking the Spanish Armada after he had (so the legend goes) finished his game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe. Today in Brixham harbour, there is a full-sized replica of the ship, the "Golden Hind", in which Drake circumnavigated the globe; visitors can go on board. For centuries, ships going down the English Channel have come into Torbay to seek refuge from
Sir Francis Drake, 3rd Baronet Sir Francis Drake, 3rd Baronet Sir Francis Drake, 3rd Baronet (1642–1718) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1673 and 1700. Drake was the son of Thomas Drake and his wife Susan Crimes, daughter of William Crimes, of Buckland Crimes and was baptised on 1 May 1642, at Buckland. His father, who was son of Sir Francis Drake, 1st Baronet, was a major of horse in the Parliamentary army. Drake succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his uncle Sir Francis Drake, 2nd Baronet on 6 June 1661. He matriculated at