Famous People arriving in Plymouth by Sea

Catherine of Aragon

Pocahontas

Napoleon Bonaparte

Surviving crew of RMS Titanic

SLAVERY

Admiral Sir John Hawkins is today regarded as the pioneer of the Slave Trade in England and yet he also should be remembered for introducing the potato to this country and as controller of the Navy, ensuring it was in a battle winning state in time to defeat the Spanish Armada. He successfully campaigned for a smaller, better paid Naval Service. He became an M.P.in 1571.

Born in Plymouth in 1532, he was a cousin to Sir Francis Drake and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. William Towerson sailed into Plymouth Sound with his fleet and cargo of slaves in 1556. Hawkins accordingly took to the trade, hereto having kept his involvement to hijacking a Portugese Slaver vessel in 1555. more..

The English Civil War

Slavery

The Blitz

Exercise Tiger

The English Civil War (1642-1651) and the reformation led to the construction of a huge fortress overlooking Plymouth Sound, aptly called the Royal Citadel. Cannons faced the sea to protect the town from foreign invaders, but also faced the town, as a warning not to forget that their loyalty should be with their King.

Plymouth Hoe & Citadel

The Blitz of World War II hit Plymouth without mercy between 1940 and 1944, with 1941 being a devasting and deadly year for the City. Devonport Dockyard was and still is a major Naval base (today the largest in Western Europe) and accordingly Plymouth attracted the relentless attention of the Luftwaffe. more..

Plymouth Blitz

Exercise Tiger was a full rehearsal for the D-Day landings and Slapton Sands were selected for their similarity to Utah Beach in Normandy. 30 000 US Troops were involved and 749 died when their landing craft were attacked by German E-boats operating out of Cherbourg. Ironically, only about 200 lost their lives in the real Utah Beach landing. more..