Editing Thomas Cavendish (section)

===Capturing a Manila galleon===
A pilot from one of the captured Spanish ships revealed that a [[Manila galleon]] was expected in October or November 1587 and usually stopped at [[Cape San Lucas]] on the [[Baja California]] peninsula before going on to [[Acapulco]]. The Manila galleons were restricted by the [[Monarchy of Spain|Spanish Monarch]] to one or two ships/year and typically carried all the goods accumulated in the Philippines in a year's worth of trading silver, from the Mints in Peru and Mexico, with the Chinese and others, for spices, silk, gold and other expensive goods. In 1587 there were two Manila galleons: the ''San Francisco'' and the ''Santa Ana''. Unfortunately both encountered a [[typhoon]] on leaving the Philippines and were wrecked on the coast of Japan. Only the ''Santa Ana'' was salvageable and after repairs resumed her voyage.
[[File:North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone.jpg|250px|thumb|right|The North Pacific currents and winds used by both the [[Manila Galleon]] and Cavendish to get to [[Guam]] and the Philippines – the [[North Pacific Gyre]]]]

Upon reaching the [[Gulf of California]] in October 1587 Cavendish and his two ships put in at an island above [[Mazatlan]] where they [[Careening|careened]] their ships to clean their bottoms and made general repairs. They had to dig wells for water. They sailed for [[Cape San Lucas]] on the [[Baja Peninsula]] and set up patrols to see if they could spot the Manila galleon. Early on 4 November 1587 one of Cavendish's lookouts spotted the 600-ton galleon manned with over 200 men. After a several hour chase the English ships overhauled the ''Santa Ana''—which conveniently had no cannons on board, in order to carry the added cargo. After several hours of battle during which Cavendish used his cannon to fire ball and grape shot into the galleon while the Spanish tried to fight back with small arms, the ''Santa Ana'', now starting to sink, finally struck her colours and surrendered.

Because of the great disparity in size the ''Content'' and ''Desire'' had to pick and choose what rich cargo they wanted to transfer to their ships from the much larger ''Santa Ana''. One hundred and ninety Spaniards (including [[Sebastián Vizcaíno]], later explorer of the [[California]] coast), and [[Filipinos|Filipino]] crewmen, were set ashore with food and some weapons in a location where they had water and food available. Cavendish kept with him two [[Japanese people|Japanese]] sailors, three boys from Manila, a Portuguese traveller familiar with China and a Spanish [[Maritime pilot|pilot]] ([[navigator]]). They loaded all the gold (about 100 [[Troy weight|troy pounds]]/37.3 kilograms or 122,000 pesos worth) and then picked through the silks, [[damask]]s, [[musk]]s (used in [[perfume]] manufacture), spices, wines, and ship's supplies for what they could carry. Some in Mexico claimed that the total value of the cargo was about 2,000,000 pesos/50 tonnes of silver. After setting fire to the ''Santa Ana'', the ''Desire'' and ''Content'' sailed away on 17 November 1587 to begin their voyage across the Pacific Ocean.

While burning, the ''Santa Ana'' drifted onto the coast where the Spanish survivors extinguished the flames, re-floated the ship and limped into [[Acapulco]].

The ''Content'' was never heard from again. The ''Desire'' tried to avoid conflict for the rest of her voyage.