Factors That Contributed To The Defeat Of The Armada

Question 1

The Armada failed because of English strengths

Answer 1

England had improved their ship building , giving them several technological improvements.Spain relied on heavy ships which were hard fo handle whereas the English built long narrow ships which were faster and easier to handle.English cannons could be reloaded much faster than Spanish ones

Question 2

English tactics contributed to the defeat of the Armada

Answer 2

Spanish ships aimed to come alongside their opponents, board their vessels and overcpme the enemy in hand to hand combat due to the fact they had so many troops.Spanish couldn’t use this tactic against the English because the English used their greater manoeuvrability to stay out of range.Instead of boarding ships, the English fired broadsides ( massive barrages of cannonballs ) which could sink them.

Also , English ships forced the Spanish ships north forcing them into treacherous storms and stopping them to meet with the Duke of Parma’s army

Question 3

Spanish weaknesses also led to the defeat of thr Armada

Answer 3

Most of Spain’s men lacked naval experiences whereas the English fleet was manned by very experienced sailors.
Also, the Spanish plan to meet the Duke of Parma was very seriously flawed.Spain did not control a deep water port where the Armada could anchor safely , so ships were extermely vulnerable to attack while it waited for Parma’s troops to escape the blockade.

Question 4

Luck also contributed to the defeat of the Armada

Answer 4

Luck also contributed to the result of the Armada.
The death of Spain’s experienced leading admiral, Santa Cruz in February 1588 , led to the appointment of the inexperienced Duke of Medina Sidonia to lead the Armada.

The weather also made it impossible for the Spanish to succeed on many occasions.After the Battle of Calais, the weather made it impossible for the Spanish ships to return in their defensive formation.Also after the Battle of Gravelines, the bad weather made it impossible for the Spanish flleet to return to the channel forcing the Armada to travel into the dangerous waters off the Scottish and Irish coasts..The bad weather also led to the sinking of many ships and wrecked ships