弗朗西斯·德雷克，英国著名的私掠船长、探险家和航海家，据知他是第二位在麦哲伦之后完成环球航海的探险家。

关于德瑞克的生平，有记载的不多，仅知他为私掠船长出身。他的一生充满传奇，在英国，他是名留千古的英雄；而在西班牙却是恶名昭著的海盗。在西班牙语中，他别名为El Draque，也就是「龙」的意思。1540年生于于德文郡一个信奉新教的农家，有一说他在1535年出生。后因宗教冲突全家逃往肯特郡。13岁的德雷克开始学习做水手。开始在跑荷兰的小船上打杂，后来升任舵手。20岁时，一位无子嗣的船长临终前把船送给了他。可巧这时西班牙对荷兰实行海上禁运。德雷克只好卖了小船去给别的船主打工。

Sir Francis Drake, vice admiral (c.1540 – 27 January 1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Drake carried out the second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580, and was the first to complete the voyage as captain while leading the expedition throughout the entire circumnavigation. With his incursion into the Pacific he inaugurated an era of privateering and piracy in the western coast of the Americas—an area that had previously been free of piracy.