Introduction | Spain v England
Myth and fact | Map: The Spanish Armada

Spain v England

Your guide to fleets, firepower and strategies

It is 19 July 1588. A vast crescent of Spanish ships has been sighted off Cornwall. The English race to gather together their crews and ships.

As these two forces inexorably approach the moment of truth, we give you the lowdown on each side – who leads and who follows, their skills on the field (or waves), their tactics and their secret weapons. The Spanish may have thought it was all over but ...

The commanders and their flagships

Spanish Armada
Overall commander: Alonzo Perez de Gusman el Bueno, 7th duke of Medina-Sidonia in San Martin. Brave and well-respected Spanish nobleman and land soldier. Little experience of seafaring. Suffers seasickness. Can call on advice of experienced and gifted admirals ...

• Juan Martinez de Recalde in the Santa Ana: second in command, hugely experienced naval officer
• Diego Flores de Valdes in the San Cristobal
• Don Pedro de Valdes in Nuestra Senora del Rosario (payship)
• Miguel de Oquendo in the Santa Ana
• Martin de Bertendendona in La Regazona
• Juan Gomez de Medina in El Gran Grifon.

English fleet
Lord admiral: Charles, Lord Howard of Effingham in Ark Royal. Nobleman and courtier from ship-owning family. Skilled commander of men, with little direct experience of command at sea. Like his opposite number, will rely heavily on his senior officers ...

• Sir Francis Drake in the Revenge (Sir Richard Grenville): vice-admiral, brilliantly skilled, world's Number 1 pirate
• Sir John Hawkins in the Victory: rear-admiral, all-round mariner, responsible for modernising the English fleet
• Sir Martin Frobisher in the Triumph: watch out for fireworks in his dealings with Drake
• Lord Henry Seymour in the Golden Lion.

The ships

Size
This definitely matters and these are big fleets – 130 ships in the Spanish Armada, 197 on the English side. Both have a mixed bag of craft:

Serious fighting ships (more than 20 guns) – about 65 on the Spanish side and about 75 on the English:
• galleons: the biggest, purpose-built for war and most heavily armed
• merchantmen: normally used for trading
• galleasses: have oars as well as sails so are more manoeuvrable.

Other ships:
• auxiliaries: lightly armed
• supply ships: carrying food and general cargo.

The Spanish also have hulks transporting troops, horses and land weapons – a disadvantage in sea battle, when fighting ships must be assigned to protect them. They also have Nuestra Senora del Rosario, the 'payship' carrying the pay owed to the sailors in the Armada, which might just prove to be a temptation to one or more of the 'pirates' in the English fleet.

The English plan on using fireships – small vessels packed with inflammables – designed by an Italian engineer. Set alight, these can be floated in among a fleet at anchor to create mayhem and destruction.

Design
This may well be crucial to the outcome of the battle.

• The Spanish: their galleons are famous for their awesomely high forecastles, which have been the death of many would-be boarders.
• The English: at least 20 of their galleons are the new, less-imposing race-built style. These are lower and faster than the Spanish ships and can take more guns. They are harder to defend from a determined boarding party, but have proved excellent in medium- and long-range gun-battles.

Firepower

Cannon will be crucial for sea fighting. The English have more, faster-loading cannon, and their gunners are more expert. But they are prone to supply glitches, and if they run out of ammunition, they'll forfeit their advantage. Then their ships could suffer from the heavier Spanish shot. The Spanish performance may depend on how well their gunners can cope with the different models of cannon, requisitioned from across Europe.

The Spanish ships also carry land war weapons, including huge siege guns. If they break through the sea defences and land, English towns will be extremely vulnerable.

The crews

Manpower Both sides have the usual blend of professional sailors, volunteers and pressed men. The English have about 15,000 seamen to the Spanish 12,000, but the Spanish ships also carry an astonishing 17,000 soldiers, who will be able to help with hand-to-hand fighting on ships, as well as eventual land engagements. (The duke of Parma's army is due to join them later.)

Conditions on board both fleets are comfortable for officers, rough for the rest. There are questions over whether the Spanish have enough supplies of food and drink to last the voyage. They are reasonably well prepared medically, with two hospital ships and 93 surgeons. The English have just a few on-board surgeons and will rely on casualties lasting till they get to shore.

Strategies

The Spanish
They are planning a land invasion, not a sea battle. They will sail into the Channel from the west and try to drive their ships up to the Dover Strait. There they intend to meet up with the duke of Parma's army (possibly 26,000 men) on the coast of the Low Countries (Belgium) and escort it – in barges – across to Kent. Parma's men will land and engage with English coastal defences while the Armada disembarks back-up troops and heavy artillery. The combined army will then march on London, with the Spanish fleet sailing up the Thames to protect its flank.

The English
Their land defences are not up to withstanding Parma's army or Spanish heavy munitions, so their ships must prevent the Armada making the rendezvous with the army. Their strategy will be to engage the Spanish as soon as possible and force them into battles at sea. Well equipped with medium- and long-range guns, they will have the edge in prolonged sea fighting.

Much may depend on whether the English can break up the Armada's new crescent formation. Expect creative tactics.

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