Great Britain -- History; Great Britain -- History, Naval
Turning to the Spaniards, the original organization of their fleet had
been in six ship squadrons, one galleasse (giant galley) squadron, one
galley squadron, one light squadron, and one _urca_ (cargo vessel)
squadron, the last being mainly intended for store-carrying, though its
vessels were armed. The six ship squadrons included two of war galleons
and four of armed merchantmen and private ships. Each consisted
nominally of ten ships, except the Castillian squadron, which contained
four armed merchantmen besides its ten galleons.
Between May and July ships lost company and did not all rejoin, while
to replace them others were added. So far as can be ascertained, the
Spanish fleet, when it arrived off the Lizard, included 19 galleons,
4 galleasses, 41 armed merchantmen, 27 _urcas_, 16 water and salvage
vessels, and about 40 small craft. The real commander, who was to
Medina Sidonia what Drake was to Howard, was Don Diego Flores de
Valdes, Admiral of the Castillian galleons. The better to discharge his
duties, he sailed with the Duke on the flagship _San Martin_. It is
characteristic of Philip that he had chosen for the substantial command
a man inferior in every respect to some of the other admirals. The
squadrons and commanders were as follows:[K]
Portugal: Alonso Perez de Guzman, Duque de Medina Sidonia.
Castille: Don Diego Flores de Valdes.
Vizcaya (Biscay): Don Juan Martinez de Recalde (Vice-Admiral of the
Armada).
Andalucia: Don Pedro de Valdes.
Guipuzcoa: Don Miguel de Oquendo.
Levantiscas (Italy): Don Martin de Bertendona.
Don Alonso Martinez de Leyva
(Lieutenant-General of the Armada).
Naples: Don Hugo de Monçada.
Light Squadron: Don Agostin de Ojeda.
Squadron of _Urcas_ (heavy supply ships): Don Juan Gomez de Medina.
[K] See Appendix.
Pedro de Valdes told Drake that the total force included 110 armed
vessels and 32 non-effective craft. There were between 7,000 and 8,000
seamen and perhaps 17,000 soldiers, besides gentlemen and slaves;
but the seamen were of many races and some raw recruits. Many of the
soldiers were also raw, though there were five Tercios, or brigades, of
veterans on board.
[Illustration: BRASS DODECAGONAL SAKER OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
Length, 7 feet 11 inches; calibre, 3·92 inches; weight of shot, 5 lbs.
Guns of this class formed the main armament of the bulk of the English
merchant-ships.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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