By the spring of 1578, a fleet of 15 ships
carrying more than 400 men had been assembled to mine gold on Baffin
Island. One of the crew members appears to have been a
spy in the pay of Spain.
The fleet sailed on May 31, and on July 1, sighted Resolution
Island. Then, amidst storms and sea-ice
conditions worse than those encountered in previous years, the fleet was
dispersed and spent a month wandering about Hudson Strait and the mouth of
Frobisher Bay. One ship was sunk by ice, and another deserted to
England before the rest were able to assemble at the Countess of
Warwick's Island.