Golden Hinde was commissioned by Albert Elledge and Art Blum of San Francisco, designed by naval architect Loring Christian Norgaard and built by J Hinks & Son of Appledore.

[5] Having completed the filming of the TV series Shogun the vessel lay moored in Taura Harbour, Yokohama for over six months.

Between 1981 and 1984, she was berthed in England and was established as an educational museum, but in 1984–1985 she sailed around the British Isles and then crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean.

In 1987, she began a tour of the US Pacific coast, visiting ports in the states of Washington, Oregon, and California.

Golden Hinde has been featured in four films: Swashbuckler (1976), Shogun (1979),[1] Drake's Venture (1980) and St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (2009).