Spanish Armada Research Paper

The Battle of the Spanish Armada

The great naval battle between Spain and England in 1588- one of the most important battles in the history of the world- is known as the Battle of the Invincible Armada. But in a sense, this is a misnomer. An invincible armada is one that cannot be defeated, yet the mighty fleet of warships that Spain sent to invade England, was defeated so badly that Spain could never again rule the oceans. How was it possible that this armada, which had awed all of Europe with its size and strength, was unable to stand up against the forces of a much smaller and less powerful enemy? The answer lies in the differences between these two countries and their rulers, Elizabeth I of England and Philip II of
Spain.
During the
At the time that Sir Francis Drake was notified of the approaching Spanish ships, he was playing a game of bowls. It is here where he gave a rather famous comment. "There is plenty of time to finish the game and beat the Spaniards." He was right, in a sense, because it was low tide and it would take another 8 hours to take the fleet out of the harbor. When he did set sail with 54 ships, the rain made it almost impossible to determine the position of any other ship, either ally or enemy. (Lewis 101) Despite these conditions, the Armada sailed on, followed by the English fleet. Two Spanish ships had been wrecked by accident when The Rosario collided with other ships. At dawn on August 1, she was captured by Drake, along with the San Salvador, a ship that had blown up. From these two ships, the English acquired 2,000 cannon balls and 140 barrels of gunpowder. The next battle occurred off Portland Bill. It was rather unsuccessful, for the Spanish were unable to board the English ships, and the English ships were unable to damage any Spanish ship from long range firepower. This battle has been quoted by the English as the "waste of a terrible value of shot." (Marx
When the danger was over, the ships could return to pick up the anchors. (Graham 233) The Dover Squadron, led by Lord Henry Seymour joined Lord Howard's squadrons. Now the Queen's navy almost equaled the Armada in number. The English recognized their advantage. They filled eight old ships with inflammable material and waited for the wind and tide. (Marx 120) After midnight, the waiting Spaniards saw the glow from the fireships approaching with the tide. As they came closer, their guns overheated and exploded, making a terrifying sight. The Spanish hastily cut their cables. In the pitch-blackness, they collided with each other in their effort to escape.
The huge galleass, the San Lorenzo, was badly damaged, but no ship was set on fire. By daylight on August 8, Medina realized many of his ships were in danger of running on the shoals of the Flemish coast, providing an easy target for the pursuing English. With four great ships, he decided to stand and fight, desperately determined to hold off the English while the rest of the Armada collected and made ready for the coming assault. (Encarta) Drake, in the Revenge, led the attack. One by one, his squadron