Martin Frobisher (c.1535-1594), English navigator and explorer. Frobisher became a cabin boy in 1544 and rose to the rank of captain by 1565. In 1576, he was given command of an Arctic expedition to seek out the North-West Passage. One of the three ships sank, the other deserted. Frobisher sailed onwards and discovered what is now called Frobisher Bay. Frobisher also carried out raids on Spanish colonies in the West Indies, and was knighted in 1588 for his role in defeating the Spanish Armada. He was fatally wounded fighting Spanish forces in France. This engraving first was published in Heroologia Anglica by Henry Holland, printed at Arnhem in 1620.