Medina makes the fateful decision to put into harbor at Calais. The English have no intention of fighting hand-to-hand, as their troop numbers are very low and their ships are designed to make hull damage only. The Armada sails up the English Channel in wedge formation, so the English maneuver themselves behind the great fleet. English Strategy Against the Armada (02:49) When the English first see the Spanish ships, they are overawed at the sheer scale of the Spanish fleet. On May 9, 1588, the Armada sets sail from Lisbon under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, a capable battle commander. The Spanish ships are built high for hand-to-hand combat, whereas English ships are built lower. The English, however, have faster, more maneuverable vessels sailing close to the wind. Vessels powered by sails are subject to the vagaries of wind, tide, and weather. Once it sets sail, the Spanish fleet is "bedeviled" by shortages of provisions and ammunition. Drake's destruction of a huge supply of barrel staves strikes a deep blow against the Armada. Sir Francis Drake launches a number of successful preemptive strikes against the Spanish ships, particularly at Cadiz. He plans to send a strong naval force to Flanders where an army-assembled by the Duke of Parma-will be transported to England under protection of the Spanish Armada. Philip applies himself to the problem of transporting a large army to the shores of England in the face of a strong English navy. Wealthy Spain is plagued by religious wars in the low country and English piracy on the high seas. Sixteenth-Century Alliances: France, Spain, and England (05:51) FREE PREVIEWÄ«y 1588, France, Spain, and England are engaged in ambiguous alliances in their singular quests for total rule over the continent.
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