The New Student's Reference Work/Armada, Spanish

Arma'da, Spanish, the great expedition sent out against England in 1588 by Philip of Spain. England was at this time the bulwark of the Protestant faith, and for this reason Philip, who was the great Catholic champion, desired to crush her. For many months the Spanish nation used all its energies in gathering a mighty force, and in July, 1588, the fleet, of 150 vessels, carrying over 19,000 soldiers and 8,460 sailors, besides slaves as rowers, and armed with 2,431 cannon, set sail from Spain, under command of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia. His project was to sail through the Channel and pick up at Flanders, the Duke of Parma, who was lying there with 35,000 men. Forces were then to be landed on a different part of the English coast, while the Armada kept the Channel clear.

Meanwhile, the English had not been idle. Drake, by a bold dash at the Spanish fleet in the port of Cadiz, had delayed the attack, and when the news came that the great fleet was about to sail, forces gathered around the Earl of Leicester to oppose the landing of Parma, while the best mariners of the age, Drake, Hawkins, Frobisher and others gathered around the English Admiral Howard. They took their station at Plymouth, and, as the Spanish fleet sailed up the Channel, in the form of a crescent, seven miles long, the English took their place to windward. The next day the Spaniards attacked, but the English ships were managed with such skill that no harm could be inflicted. Dismayed at their failure, they stood off up the Channel, pursued and harassed by the English, and cast anchor at Calais. From here they were driven by means of fireships out into the open sea, a large number of ships were destroyed and almost the whole fleet was forced on the coast of Flanders. The hopes of the Spaniards were now broken, and they resolved to give up the expedition. Rather than go back through the vigilantly guarded lines of their persistent enemies, they set out on the perilous voyage by the North Sea; but the fierce northern gales scattered the fleet and drove them on the coast of Ireland and Scotland, where those escaping from the wreck were killed by the natives. Of the vast Armada only a shattered remnant of fifty-four vessels, with about ten thousand men, reached Spain.