The Spanish Armada

English ships

At this time, England was building the best warships. They also had race-built galleons, the fastest ships at this time. They were using culverin cannons, which have an effective range of 600 yards and a muzzle velocity of 400 m/s.

Early English actions (when the Armada entered the Channel)

Chas Howard was in command of the English fleet in Plymouth. Due to tides turning in his favor, he set out first. Parma had not been able to build the transport craft or gather the troops that Philip wanted, due to the English and Dutch attacking those who were building them. Howard, after leaving Plymouth, was able to get around the Armada and attack from behind. The Spanish put into the harbor of Calais, but the French were not happy to see them. They were told that they could water, but then needed to get out.

Revolt in Europe

In 1564-5, the Dutch revolt against Spain because Philip tried to impose the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands. He wanted to squander Protestantism by increasing the number of Bishops from four to sixteen. The Dutch nobility denied his changes but he ignores them, sparking the revolt. They are nearly wiped out, but William of Orange (William the Silent) takes control in the late 1560's, and the Dutch manage to hang on. The war is not settled until 1648, when the Spanish lose and Holland emerges. The Spanish Netherlands are reduced to Belgium and Luxembourg.

Further conflict with the English

In 1568, a Spanish ship made port in Plymouth Harbor in desperate need of repairs. The ship was carrying the entire payroll for the Army of Flanders, and the English took it. The Pope brokered a deal to settle the conflict. In 1572 the Spanish (and Venetian) fleet won the Battle of Lepanto in the Mediterranean, from which the Turks never recovered. At the same time, Drake was raiding the Spanish Mane. The fact that the English completely ignored all continental affairs greatly annoyed Philip.

Battle of Gravelines

Per their training, the Spanish were told to shoot and then board the English. The English, however, figure this out and didn't come within closing distance. They instead fired at deck-level with grapeshot, bar-shot, and chain-shot. The also would go to full sail, cross their T, and fire down the length of the ship. The English fought to kill the crews, so they could not invade. In addition, the wind was pushing the Armada into the coast, causing them to heel over, and allowing the English to shoot below their water-line. The Dutch had taken all the channel markers up.

Philip II

Philip II of Spain, also the Duke of Burgundy, feels that Elizabeth is being ungrateful after he essentially saved her from Mary, since she does nothing to stop her privateers. He is thinking about either killing her or replacing her with someone better suited for Spanish interests. In the late 1500's, both English and Spanish break diplomatic relations, and in 1562, Hawkins shoots his way into the West Indies and steals/sells slaves, and steals everything else he can find.

Building of the Armada

Philip begins building his fleet in the 1580's. To accomplish his goals, he would have to take on the English Navy in the English Channel, and they were the best in the world at this point. In 1587, the Armada was being built in the Spanish military port of Cádiz. 29 April, 4 pm-- Drake and his squadron sailed into the harbor. The Spanish had failed to put out picket ships, and their only defense was galleys, which retreated after being shot at by English broadside cannons. Drake then shot up the entire port, and burned down the flag ship of the Armada. By the time he was done, 24-37 ships had been either burned, captured, or sunk. There were no English casualties.

Philip's response to Elizabeth

Philip decided to build a Grand Armada to invade England, remove and replace Elizabeth, and re-Catholisize England. He also wanted to commission the commander of the Army of Flanders, the Duke of Parma, to build landing craft and gather troops in the Low Countries.

After Cádiz

Philip's original commander of the Armada died before they set sail, so he replaced him with the Duke of Medina, who was an infantry officer. Medina repeatedly told Philip that he was a bad choice. After Cádiz, Lisbon became the new home of the Armada. Obviously, the English knew of the Armada, and set up a beacon system that would inform everyone of the ships in 40 minutes. The diplomatic advisor of the Pope, the Papal nuncio, was taken to see the Armada, but it was so small that he thought he only saw a small part of it.

Spanish Ambassadors

Spanish ambassadors repeatedly confronted Elizabeth about Drake and Hawkins, but she told them that they were not operating under the English flag, and that she was "just a woman." Meanwhile, the two privateers were sharing their profits with her and resupplying in Naval yards with Naval supplies. In 1578, she reopened diplomatic relations by receiving a Spanish ambassador. She saw an imbalance of power in central Europe, and believed that France was growing too powerful. At the same time, she allowed Drake to sail around the world, sacking Spanish and Portuguese colonies. She knighted him when he returned.

First sail

The Armada leaves Lisbon on 20 May 1588 with 130 ships and 30,493 men. One-half of the ships are transport ships, and two-thirds of the men are soldiers, not sailors. The fleet had to make port in Corunna because the caulking on some of the ships was leaking, and some of the ships were provisioned so far in advance of leaving that their water had turned brackish and the food went bad. They didn't go back to sea until 12 July. Medina was still sending Philip letters saying that he was not the best for the job, and that it wouldn't work. The Armada landed at The Lizard and then sailed north, towards England.

English Fireships

The English planned to send fireships into the Armada while they were at Calais. To do this, they find expendable ships, paint the decks with pitch, and sail it on a floating tide. Four are sent into the Armada, only two of which are intercepted by Spanish picket ships. The others sail into the Spanish fleet, but didn't do much damage-- the damage was done by the Spanish panicking, cutting their lines, and sailing into each other. As a result, they could no longer resume their formation and were attacked in the Battle of Gravelines.

English Privateers

The two most notorious are Captains Drake and Hawkins. They (and others) would raid both Spanish ships on the Atlantic and Spanish colonies in the New World (the Spanish Mane). This becomes an increasing problem for the Spanish, who believe that the English are encroaching on their territory.

After Gravelines

The wind shifted to the southeast, driving the Spanish away from the coast and the rendezvous point (with Parma). At this point, the Spanish were lost and being chased by the English, who, unbeknownst to the Spanish, had run out of ammunition. What was left of the Armada turned west, measuring by dead-reckoning (although the Gulf Stream current is 7x faster than any other current in the world). It is estimated that they were losing 25 miles a day. They turned south too soon, and the wind shifted from the northwest, sending the ships into the coast of Ireland, which took at least 40 ships.

Privateer/Pirate

They are the same thing. The former is used by those who support the person (England), while the latter is used by those who are in opposition (Spain). They were the best sailors/fighters on the ocean.

The return of the Armada

When the Armada returned to Spain, 75% of the original crew was dead. Naval archaeologists discovered that much of the munition did not fit the Spanish cannons (lack of heavy industry in Spain). The English had more casualties to Typhus than to battle. The Spanish lost a lot of money and sailors and failed to accomplish their goal, as Drake set back out to privateering afterwards.