John Hawkins (naval commander)

Sir John Hawkins
Portrait of John Hawkins at the National Maritime Museum, London
Born	1532 Plymouth, England
Died	12 November 1595(1595-11-12) (aged 62–63) off Puerto Rico, Spanish Main
Allegiance	England
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1562–1595
Commands held	Treasurer of the Navy Admiral of the Narrow Seas
Battles/wars	Spanish Armada English Armada Battle of San Juan de Ulúa
Children	Richard Hawkins (1562–1622)
Signature

Admiral Sir John Hawkins (also spelled Hawkyns) (1532 – 12 November 1595) was an English naval commander, naval administrator, privateer and slave trader.

Hawkins pioneered, and was an early promoter of, English involvement in the Atlantic slave trade. He is considered to be the first English merchant to profit from the Triangle Trade, selling enslaved people from Africa to the Spanish colonies in the West Indies in the late 16th century.^[1]

In 1588, Hawkins served as a Vice-Admiral and fought in the victory over the Spanish Armada, for which he was knighted for gallantry. As Treasurer of the Navy, Hawkins became the chief architect of the Elizabethan Navy. He redesigned the navy so the ships were faster, more manoeuvrable and had more firepower.

Hawkins' son, Richard Hawkins, was captured by the Spanish. In response, along with his cousin Sir Francis Drake, he raised a fleet of ships to attack the Spanish in the West Indies. However, he died at sea during the expedition.