English ship Bonaventure ( 1567 ) Bonaventure ( also known as Elizabeth Bonaventure ) was a 47 - gun galleon purchased by the Royal Navy in 1567 . She was the third vessel to bear the name . She was commanded by Sir Francis Drake during his 1587 attack on Cadiz , and a year later was part of the fleet to face the Spanish Armada . Service history . Attack on Cadiz ( 1587 ) . After the execution in February 1587 of Mary , Queen of Scots , Philip II of Spain decided that it was time to invade England , and started to prepare his armada . The " Elizabeth Bonaventure " , under the command of Francis Drake was sent as flagship of the English fleet to try to prevent and / or delay the armada . The fleet numbered roughly twenty - six vessels , which included three more of the Queen ' s ships in addition to the " Elizabeth Bonaventure " ; the " Golden Lion " , " Dreadnought " and " Rainbow " , three tall ships of the Levant Company , seven men - of - war of 150 – 200 tons and eleven or twelve smaller vessels . His orders from the Queen were : " to prevent the joining together of the King of Spain ' s fleet out of their different ports . To keep victuals from them . To follow them in case they should come out towards England or Ireland . To cut off as many of them as he could , and prevent their landing . To set upon the West Indian ships as they came or went . " She immediately changed her mind and issued less aggressive orders , however Drake had set sail from England on 12 April 1587 before receiving these orders , and thus acted upon the first . Having heard that the ships were gathering in the harbour at Cádiz , Drake decided to hunt them there . On his arrival seventeen days later , they discovered the inner and outer harbours full of the enemy vessels . After a short discussion with his vice - admiral , Captain William Borough , Drake decided against waiting until the following morning , and led his fleet in . A squadron of galleys commanded by Don Pedro de Acuña were in a state of readiness , and spread across the harbour while one of their number sailed to challenge Drake ' s oncoming fleet . Before it could get close enough to hail the English , the " Elizabeth Bonaventure " and possibly some of the other vessels close opened fire , sending cannons balls in the direction of the Spanish galleon . Any one of the four Queen ' s vessels carried more firepower than all of Don Pedro ' s galleys combined , and the Spanish commander was forced to concentrate on delaying the English fleet to give the other Spanish vessels time to prepare . In time however , the resistance faded and Drake gained control of the bay . Over the next month , the fleet sailed up and down the Iberian coast between Lisbon and Cape St Vincent , destroying supplies being sent to Lisbon for the armada . Included in these supplies were a large quantity of barrel staves , according to Drake ' s personal estimate , enough for over 25 , 000 tons of provisions and water . Spanish Armada ( 1588 ) . The following year , the " Elizabeth Bonaventure " , commanded by George Clifford , 3rd Earl of Cumberland , was part of the English fleet to battle the Spanish Armada . During this battle , she carried 51 . 5 tons of ordnance , totalling over 8 % of her maximum tonnage . When surveyed on 25 September 1588 , the only damage listed from the battle was to the sails , which were " shot full of holes " . Later Voyages . The " Bonaventure " then setout on an early expedition that became a foreunner to the East India Company . Leaving England in 1593 she sailed around Cape Comorin and on to the Malay Peninsula and subsequently returned to England in 1594 .