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Why the Spanish Armada was Defeated (Weather (Rising winds meant that the…
Why the Spanish Armada was Defeated
Technology
The Spanish had large, slow galleons, with short-range guns. The English had smaller, more manoeuvrable ships and longer-range guns.
The English used lighter, long-range cannons called Culverins. These could reload much faster than the short-range Spanish cannons and allowed the English to attack from a safe distance
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Tactics
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The attack tactic of the Spanish was to get up close to the enemy ships, hit them with short-range cannons and board their ship. This proved impossible in the formation of the Armada and the fact that the English kept their distance
Fireships sent by the English into the docked Armada scattered the fleet and lost the crescent formation
The English kept their distance, hitting the galleons with their culverins below the waterline, greatly damaging the galleons without being able to be hit
Drake's attack on Cadiz greatly hindered the production of Spanish ships, delaying the attack and giving England time to prepare
Weather
Storms meant that the armada had to turn around for repairs, delaying the attack
In order to reach the Netherlands, winds and currents meant that the Armada had to sail past the entire English coast, making them highly noticable.
Rising winds meant that the Armada had to anchor at Calais, where they were attacked by fireships
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The wind then blew them into dangerous sandbanks near the Netherlands
The fleet was forced to sail into the wind in the battle of Gravelines
A southwesterly wind sent the Armada into gales in the North sea, and upon sailing around the north of Scotland were hit by storms and the Gulf Stream, so many ships were wrecked
SPANISH MISTAKES
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The appointment of the Duke of Medina Sidonia to lead the Armada even though he had no naval experience
Communication between Medina Sidonia and Parma was impossible, but they needed to know what the other was doing - poorly planned
This meant that as the fleet was pushed on by the English, they could not stop to find word from Parma, and couldn't stop to pick up his army