The Defeat of the Armada
Long-term planning
The treasurer of the navy, Hawkins, had advised Elizabeth years before, that English warships needed to be fast and easily manoeuvrable so they could turn their guns on the enemy faster
Elizabeth listened to this expert advice, and planned well in advance
English ship design
Galleons were built from the early 1570s, and were designed to be easier and faster to manoeuvre
The canons were mounted on smaller gun carriages than on Spanish ships
The decks on English ships had enough space for cannons to recoil, be quickly reloaded by a small team and then pushed back through the gun port. This design meant that English ships could fire more cannon balls at the Spanish with more speed (as they allowed for recoil)
Although the galleons were some of the best warships in the world, there were only 24 ships by 1588, so the ships weren't the sole reason
Spanish supplies
The Armada was not as well supplied as it might have been, as supplies were stored in barrels made of inferior wood
The barrels were poor quality as Drake's raid on Cadiz had destroyed so many barrels, so new ones had to be made quickly.
Delays in setting sail and bad weather meant that by the time the English engaged the Armada, it had already been at sea for over 10 weeks, and when the English boarded the first Spanish ship, they found its supplies already rotting
Documents written by Medina-Sidonia indicate that the Armada was low in supplies of canon balls, and archeological evidence suggests they were of bad quality
Planning and communication issues
Philip's plan required the main body of the Armada (led by Medina-Sidonia) to join with Parma, who was to command a fleet from the Netherlands: a plan with many weaknesses
The Duke of Parma didn't control any deep sea ports (which large war ships needed) in the Netherlands. Instead he had to use lots of small ships, so it would take 48 hours to load, man, and set sail once word came from the Duke of Medina-Sidonia to join his fleet
Communications between the 2 leaders had to go by sea and were therefore unreliable. It took a week for word to reach Parma that Medina-Sidonia was in the Channel, and at this point, he was off Calais, waiting to engage the English, and by the time his message got to Parma, it was too late as his fleet needed 48 hours to set sail and the English were ready to set sail
English tactics
The Armada was spotted on 29th July 1588 in the Channel, and by the 31st July the English had opened fire and captured 2 ships
The English fleet generally kept a safe distance and chased the Armada down the Channel.
There was heavy exchanges of fire near the Isle of Wight on the 3-4 August, these were useful as Medina-Sidonia had hoped to anchor safely here, and stopping might have meant that Parma received his messages in enough time to get the Dutch fleet ready for his arrival
During the exchange at the Isle of Wight, the English were able to fire as many as 6 times more cannon balls than the Spanish and from further away
The Battle of Gravelines (8/8/1588)
On the Night of the 6 of August, the English sent ships set on fire amongst the Spanish fleet, scattering the Armada, and by the time they regrouped on the 8th, the English engaged the Spanish in the battle of Gravelines, Medina-Sidonia had to fight without Parma's ships.
Without the numbers, the Spanish ships couldn't compete with the faster, more mobile English ships with better, more powerful cannons. The Armada was defeated and scattered by the winds.
Most of the destruction inflicted upon the retreating Armada was done by the gales that wrecked the Spanish ships as they tried to retreat through treacherous waters off Scottish and Irish coasts. Thousands were killed
Philip II's mistakes, Elizabeth's smart choices
He did consult his military commanders before the Armada sailed, he ignored their criticisms, suggestions and concerns
This mistake was enhanced by the fact that Elizabeth left her key decisions to more experienced commanders: Drake, the Earl of Nottingham, and Lord Seymour
Consequences
Before the Armada, Elizabeth addressed her troops in Tilbury where they were preparing to defend England from Spanish invasion, in a famous speech that raised morale
Victory over the Armada offered excellent propaganda opportunities
A new portrait was commissioned, showing the Queen's power
The Queen was the centre of a great parade in London
A special commemorative medal was struck which said: 'God blew, and they were scattered'. It gave Elizabeth an excellent opportunity to show that God clearly favoured the Protestants
Nurtured English pride: England had survived an attack by a more powerful foe
The Anglo-Dutch alliance became stronger than ever, as the defeat of the Spanish encouraged the Dutch rebels to renew their fight against the Spanish
The defeat of the Armada showed the strength of the English navy. After 1588, it gave England the confidence to trade and explore more widely on the open sea
The defeat cost Spain financially and in terms of its power. The Armada marked the beginning of a long decline in Spanish fortunes