The Spanish Armada

The year was 1588 and the war was over England. The Spanish Armada was a Spanish fleet of 130 ships with a strategic aim to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I of England and the establishment of Protestantism in England. The fleet was tasked with the purpose of escorting an army to invade the English mainland. If they succeeded the course of English history would have taken a drastically different path.

The descent of the Armada came at a pivotal time of change in sea warfare. The Spanish represented the old tradition while the English fought with new design and tactics. In the old model, war was fought on sea as if on land, with soldiers discharging arrows and handguns, boarding the enemy ships and engaging in hand fighting for battle wins. The Spanish ships, or galleons, were made for this type of fighting. They were impressive in size and rode high out of the water with towering masts, but their height and broad nature made them awkward to sail and maneuver.

English captains inspired a new form of ship which was made to be lower in the water, with a long prow and much reduced masts. These sleek ships carried more sophisticated forms of rigging, enabling them to sail closer to the wind, thus making them more maneuverable and faster than the Spanish galleons. The English navy relied on gunnery, rather than boarding, to defeat an enemy. The design of the ships allowed the English to close in and fire repeatedly on the sides of the Spanish ships at short range, inflicting considerable damage and sinking ships. The Armada did not have a way to counter with gunfire-centered attack as Spanish crews were not trained to load and fire repeatedly during a battle and their guns were not designed for rapid fire.

Credits:
http://www.britishbattles.com/spanish-war/spanish-armada.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada

Images:
http://www.britishbattles.com/spanish-war/spanish-armada.htm