Page 69 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

KNGLAliiD IIGIIINST SPIII:N. El.ll'..AB6TH l VERSI.IS PHILIP Il 35
aod led to d1e loss of The Rer1mge. Drakc failed ro take Havana in 1585, which
somewhat detraas from his reputation for invinc.ibiliry earned ar N ombre de Dios
in the fsthmu.s of Panama (15 72) a od io the c.ircumoavigation of the globe becween
1577 and 1580. Bur his dassic preemptive sttike againsr Cadiz in 1587 - when
with 23 sai l he sank 30 Spanish vessels our of80 caughr ar anchor and, even more
importandy, descroyed rh e assembling Arma da ·s supply of wacer barrels - earned
Elizabethan England an invaluable one-year respite from che ch.reat of irnrninem
invasion, and reduced che Armada"s sueoghr by a sigoificant amount che following
year besides hasrening che deach of che great Ad mirai de Sa oca Cruz. Thus che En-
glish naval and Land-based 'saboteurs of the (Spaoish) empire' (Lord Monrgomery
of Alamein) rormenred the Spaniards - and cheir monarc.b - almost ro disrrac-
rion, and in the end seriously reduced che prerensions of rhe Escorial co absolucc
power over che wesrern hemisphere in che process.
But indubitably che most imporcant singlc evenc in che bitter Anglo-Spanish
conflict was che desrruction of tbc s~eniJJima Armati"' berween 19 Ju1y and 9 Au-
gusr, l588. As rhe story of chis caracJysmic episode is well known, soffice ir ro say
chat Lord Howard ofEffingham, wirh Drake as his vice-admiial, led a numerically
superior (bue in weight of guns inferior) Englisb !leetc of 34 'Queen's ships' and
163 sail of armed-merchant ' ... shipping raken up from crade' (che precise mechod
employed co build up anorhcr fleer seor to regain the Falkland lslands &om another
diccatorial regime jusr under 400 years later, 1982). Of che 163 'STUFT vessels
only 31 were acrua.lly commirred ro accion. In the dlase down che English Channel
much use wa.s ma de of superior Eoglish knowledge of currenrs and sandbanks and
prevailing winds co harrass the 130 vcsscls under Medioà Sidonia s commaod. The
'
decisive momenr carne off Gravelines near Calais on 29 J uly, when tbe eighc fìre-
ships, incJuding rwo Durch-builr 'infernaJ machines', forced tbc Armada co cur it:s
cablcs an d run north. The English fleer pucsued Mcdina Sidonia as far as the River
Humber before shonage of ammunition and supplies focced che calling off che c.base.
Theo ir was left co tbe cimely ··Proresrant gales" co dcsrroy tbe once seemiogly·
invincible Armada. Many proud galleons wcre losc along che mck-bound coasrs
of wesrern Scorla.nd and Ireland - and ulcimacely only 53 barrered Spanish and
alli ed ships Limped back ro La Coruna and Cadiz. Of che remainder, English accioo
bad accounred for Il of tbe At:mada. Bad wearher dcsrroycd tbc remain"ing 66 losr.
The failure of che Spanish Aunada savcd Eoglish Pcoresraotism and narional
sovereignry. lr is just as well chat Parma·s ccrcios- lefr sranding ar Dunlcirk -
ncver reached English soil, Eor ali Quecn Elizabech's bravewords to her assembled
army ar Tilbury, the scandacd of her rroops left sometbiog ro be desired. lo cheory,
rhe new milicia system based upon che English shires was co have provided 130000
me n. Bur whcn a full mustcr was conducn:d in 159l only 42 000 rraincd a.nd armed
miliria-men were deemed worthy of a aio n. and a furcher 55 000 milicia equlpped