All went well until July l7th, when the Armada encountered a violent storm.[1] The Spanish seamen declared that, at a corresponding time of year, they had never witnessed such a heavy sea as was soon aroused. The 18th was clear and sunny, with light winds. Forty ships were found to be missing; and Medina Sidonia set forward a dispatch-vessel in the direction of the Lizard, in order to look for them. The gale, however, had done little damage to the vessels which were still in company. A detailed list of the entire Armada, as of the fleet opposed to it, will be found in an appendix at the close of this chapter.
At Lisbon[2] the Spanish fleet had consisted of 130 sail,[3] made up of 65 galleons; 25 urcas or hulks, of from 300 to 700 tons; 19 pataches or dispatch-vessels, of from 70 to 100 tons; 13 zabras; 4 galleasses;[4] and 4 galleys; with 2431 guns, and an aggregate burthen of 57,868 tons, and carrying officers, seamen, and troops to the number of 30,656,[5] besides volunteers, servants, priests, and other civilians. The supplies for this huge expedition included 110,000 quintals[6] of biscuit, 11,117 mayors[7] of wine, 6000 quintals of pork, 3000 quintals of cheese, G000 quintals of fish, 4000 quintals of rice, 6000 fanegas[8] of beans and peas, 10,000 arrobas[9] of oil, 21,000 arrobas of vinegar, and 11,000 pipes of water. There were stores of sheet lead and leather for the repair of shot-holes; 21 field-pieces, with 40 mules to draw them, and 3500 shot for them; and, as extra ordnance supplies, 7000 arquebusses, 1000 muskets, 10,000 pikes, 1000 spears, 6000 half-pikes, with spades, axes, shovels, baskets, etc., etc., for work ashore.[10]
Nine days after the departure from Corunna, that is, on July 20th, the Armada was but nine craft short of its Lisbon strength; and of the missing vessels, two had never got as far as Corunna; so that the dispersion occasioned by the gale of the 17th may have been quickly repaired, although the Armada, since leaving Lisbon, had possibly been reinforced, and, probably, had not been rejoined by all the ships separated from it outside Corunna on the night of
6 1 quintal is 101.4 lbs. 7 1 mayor is 56.2 gals. 8 1 fanega is 1.5 bushels. 9 1 arroba is 3.5 gals.
- ↑ Duro, docs. 159, 168.
- ↑ On April 29th: Duro, doc. 110.
- ↑ In addition to twenty small caravels and feluccas: Duro, docs. 109, 110.
- ↑ Galleasses were very large galleys.
- ↑ This, the paper strength, no doubt exceeded the real force: Duro, doc. 113. The estimated strength at Corunna was only 22,500 all told.
- ↑ 6
- ↑ 7
- ↑ 8
- ↑ 9
- ↑ Duro, doc. 109.
