Descubre en este fascinante documental "La Armada Invencible: El Asalto a Inglaterra" cómo la ambiciosa flota de Felipe II se enfrentó a la poderosa armada inglesa en una de las batallas navales más emblemáticas de la historia. A lo largo de este análisis detallado, exploraremos no solo las estrategias militares empleadas por ambos bandos, sino también el contexto histórico que llevó a la creación de esta formidable armada. Desde la preparación hasta la crucial batalla de Gravelines, este documental ofrece una visión completa sobre la Armada Invencible y su impacto en la historia naval. Únete a nosotros y adéntrate en el fascinante mundo de la guerra en el mar y las derrotas históricas que cambiaron el rumbo de Europa.
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00:00In the summer of 1588, England faced the greatest superpower of all time.
00:20A great Spanish invading fleet, the most powerful ever,
00:27advanced rapidly towards the Channel of the Spot.
00:31And the only thing that was between the invaders and the conquest of England
00:35were the ships of the British Navy.
00:39Together with my son Dan, I will continue day by day the great battle that took place in these waters.
00:45For a week, the future of the British Islands depended on the courage and expertise of the British sailors.
00:52None of them had participated before in a battle of this magnitude.
01:02Facing a crushing power, they had to use new tactics and techniques to mock the Spaniards.
01:10They put their ships and their own forces to the limit.
01:14We will analyze the different strategies that the commanders followed,
01:18the command of each side, and the essential role that chance played to decide the fate of both sides.
01:26We will observe to what extent their weapons were effective.
01:37And we will put to the test the revolutionary navigation techniques that decided the battle.
01:42The English were very skilled and their ships were very light.
01:45We had never seen anything like that before.
01:51For the Spaniards, it was a religious crusade against an island full of heretics and pirates.
01:57For the English, it was a struggle for survival against the power of the Spanish fleet.
02:13SPANISH FLEET
02:24In 1588, Spain was very busy trying to gather a large fleet, an armada.
02:35Spain was the greatest superpower in the world,
02:38and that armada would constitute the greatest naval power in history.
02:46Its objective? To invade and conquer England.
03:00Spain was Catholic and wanted a Catholic world.
03:05The king of Spain, Philip II, was a man obsessed with religion.
03:10For him, the construction of the empire meant extending the power of the Catholic Church.
03:16But on his way, he interposed the Protestant England, led by Queen Elizabeth, a heretic.
03:23It is the duty of every Catholic to make sure that your Queen Elizabeth is annihilated.
03:30They are a barbarous and savage race.
03:35We need to put them on a leash.
03:38We need the grace of God.
03:40And God willing, we will drive them into the sea and show them their grace.
03:48But the conflict between England and Spain was not only religious.
03:55The Spanish Empire extended across half the planet and controlled all the riches of the New World.
04:02England wanted a portion, but had been separated from the force.
04:09Isabel had been fighting for years, sending her sailors to assault Spanish ships full of treasures.
04:18Little by little, the relations between the two countries led to a general conflict.
04:32SPANISH ARMY
04:42Here in Flanders, the Spanish army fought its own religious war.
04:4730,000 soldiers were scattered throughout the region,
04:50defending fortified cities like this one against the Protestant rebels.
04:55And to the greatest anger of the Spaniards,
04:57England had sent troops to help the Dutch rebels.
05:03The Spanish king considered that that was the limit.
05:08England took the Spanish gold, insulted their religion, and now interfered in their wars.
05:13They already had enough.
05:15It was time to finish once and for all with that small country that was so insolent.
05:22Felipe's plan was to prepare an ambitious combined operation,
05:26using his army in Flanders and the fleet he was preparing.
05:32This great armed fleet would cover Spain,
05:34overflowing with soldiers and naval armament.
05:39His objective would be to sail directly to the Channel of the Spot,
05:42to its narrowest point, between Dover and Calais.
05:47There he would meet up with the Spanish army in Flanders
05:50and escort them to England.
05:53Felipe believed that this combination of forces would be unstoppable.
05:57It would be a military operation on an unprecedented scale.
06:03The fleet, loaded with more than 20,000 men, weapons and food,
06:07would have to sail 1,000 miles and then launch an invasion.
06:13Felipe had to find the right man to lead the army,
06:16and he chose a candidate for whom few people were willing to bet.
06:22The chosen man was the Duke of Medina Sidonia.
06:27As little as we know, his appearance was more or less like this.
06:31He was one of the richest nobles in Europe,
06:33but he had no experience as a naval commander.
06:36In fact, he had never fought at sea.
06:41Even Medina's own mother thought he was incapable of performing his duties correctly.
06:45Medina Sidonia did everything possible not to accept the position.
06:48She even told the king that at sea he was seasick and often caught a cold,
06:52but Felipe did not want to hear about it.
06:55For him, the social position was more important than the experience,
06:58and Medina Sidonia was in a very good position.
07:09Those who doubted the ability of Medina Sidonia soon had to shut their mouths.
07:13In a short time, all the Spanish ports were full of activity.
07:22Under the efficient orders of the new commander, everyone worked 100%.
07:30In just a few months, food was stored, the crew met and weapons were delivered.
07:38Once on board, the men received God's blessing,
07:41asking for his protection for the new company they undertook.
07:46On board, you could not blaspheme or play gambling.
07:50Before boarding, we all confessed and received the absolution.
07:54We were ready to die, to fight for good.
07:57I was happy because I did what God wanted, to serve my country.
08:03For the Spaniards, it was not an invasion.
08:06It was a religious crusade.
08:09The Spanish armada was already a reality.
08:12All that was left was to receive the order to set sail for England.
08:15THE SPANISH ARMY
08:33Through her spies, Queen Isabel learned that the attack was imminent.
08:40She knew that England could only rely on her navy.
08:46In May 1588, she gathered all the possible ships
08:50and ordered her forces to head here, to Plymouth.
08:58And just as well, while she gathered her fleet,
09:01the armada sailed from Spain.
09:08The Spanish armada was an impressive military force.
09:16Medina Sidonia had gathered 130 ships.
09:20The fleet carried 7,000 sailors and almost triple the number of soldiers.
09:32Never had a naval power concentration been seen like this.
09:39And it headed directly for England.
09:46THE INVASION OF ENGLAND
09:54Along the southern coast of England,
09:56people awaited the arrival of the Spanish invaders with nervousness.
10:00In the villages, the men prepared to fight,
10:02gathering all the weapons they could find at hand.
10:05In cabins like this and along the entire coast of Cornwall,
10:08the watchmen watched the sea closely,
10:10waiting for the first signs of the invading fleet.
10:14Then, on Friday the 29th of July,
10:16the watchmen discovered a group of sails and masts on the horizon.
10:23The Spanish armada had reached the British coast.
10:30The only thing that stopped the armada
10:33was the British navy's ships.
10:35And the man in charge was Admiral Lord Howard,
10:38aboard the Ark Royal.
10:44Lord Howard was a native leader.
10:48But like his counterpart, Medina Sidonia,
10:50he had come to his post through family ties,
10:53rather than through experience.
10:55He was a cousin of the Queen.
10:57However, the English did not stay in the saga on nautical issues.
11:01The second man in charge of the fleet was Sir Francis Drake.
11:05Drake was a totally different type from Howard.
11:08The son of a humble peasant,
11:10he had become the most important sailor in England.
11:14The Spaniards feared him for his frequent attacks on their ships and ports,
11:18and their own men respected him and even loved him.
11:24One of the great things about Drake
11:26is that on his ship all men are equal.
11:28He is willing to work shoulder to shoulder with everyone.
11:31He does not care to stand by your side
11:33and hold hands with the ropes.
11:35Sir Francis Drake
11:38will always have my respect.
11:43Now, the future of the country depended on both commanders and their men.
11:48They were eager to go to sea to fight the Spaniards,
11:52but something was getting in their way.
12:01When the armada was discovered,
12:03the wind was blowing inwards and the tide was rising.
12:07I'm in the most remote part of the port of Plymouth
12:10fighting against a tide of two or three knots.
12:13It's about two.
12:15It was very frustrating to know that just a few miles away
12:19was the Spanish armada.
12:22And they could not face it because they were stuck here.
12:27Drake and Hogwar could do nothing more
12:29than calmly continue to play their ball game
12:32and wait for the tide to change.
12:37But their calmness did not reflect the danger of the situation.
12:41The English ships were trapped while the enemy was approaching.
12:57The Spaniards had a great opportunity
13:00to launch an attack against the English,
13:02trapped and defenseless in the port of Plymouth.
13:05They could have won the victory quickly,
13:07and some Spanish officers expressed their impatience
13:10and showed their disagreement.
13:12But Felipe's orders had been clear.
13:14They should not face the enemy,
13:16unless it was absolutely essential.
13:18The aim of the fleet was to continue towards Calais
13:21to meet with the Spanish army in the Netherlands.
13:24The armada continued to sail,
13:26taking advantage of what could have been a great opportunity
13:29to strike a decisive blow.
13:31They had no intention of harming us while we were anchored.
13:36In fact, they hoped that the tide would be more favourable for us.
13:40I will never understand it.
13:43As I am a man of faith,
13:45I suppose that God smiled on us that day.
13:49When the tide went down at night,
13:52the English had the opportunity to take the initiative.
13:55They left Plymouth Sound to face the enemy.
14:00Here we see the entire English coast,
14:02from Plymouth to Cornwallis.
14:05The west wind constantly dragged the fleet of the armada
14:08located here, to the east.
14:10Drake and Hogwart left the port of Plymouth, here,
14:13and decided to split their forces.
14:17Hogwart had the intention
14:19to take most of the fleet to the open sea,
14:22while Drake intended to head west along the coast.
14:26Their aim was to reach the Spanish armada
14:29from the west.
14:32This was crucial.
14:34The wind was blowing from the west,
14:36and if they could get there,
14:38they would have a great advantage,
14:40having the wind behind them.
14:44But to get there,
14:46they had to sail against the wind.
14:49And sailing against the wind was very difficult.
14:52And it still is.
14:58The problem with sailing against the wind,
15:00now the wind is blowing directly from Proa,
15:02is that you can't go directly against it.
15:05If you do, the sail will shake violently,
15:07but you don't go forward.
15:09You have to go zigzagging,
15:11sailing in closed angles to the wind,
15:13sailing into the wind.
15:15So here we go, we go forward.
15:17So to go forward against the wind,
15:19I have to go zigzagging.
15:21Imagine this in the case of a great sailboat.
15:24Going forward and gaining miles
15:26would take a lot of time and effort.
15:31Sailing against the wind from behind
15:33is much easier.
15:35When we sail against the wind,
15:37we have two advantages.
15:39On the one hand, it's the quickest way to sail.
15:41You're very light, and on the other,
15:43you have a lot of control over the direction of the boat.
15:46You can go that way, you can go that way,
15:48you can go anywhere, with total flexibility.
15:53In a race, the advantage of having the wind
15:55blowing from behind is obvious.
15:57In this case, I go against the wind,
15:59while Dan sails in my favour.
16:03The first one to reach the buoy wins.
16:05I start with an advantage.
16:07Come on, come on, the great race has begun.
16:10I've got the wind blowing from behind,
16:12so technically I can go straight from A to B.
16:14I can go straight for the finish line.
16:16Dad's going to zigzag all the way.
16:19Zigzagging against the wind.
16:23Come on, Dan.
16:24I'm going to beat you anyway.
16:26No, Dad, no.
16:27Even if you've started very well,
16:29you can't beat me.
16:31I'm going to have to try another tactic,
16:33that's all.
16:34Come on.
16:35Zigzagging is a terrible way
16:37to compete in a race.
16:39And look at this, Dan,
16:40he's almost reached the buoy.
16:42All right, you win.
16:46Oh, dear.
16:48Obviously, if you sail in favour of the wind,
16:50you can go faster and go straighter.
16:52If you have to zigzag, you go slower.
16:54It's not fair, Dad.
16:55This is not clean play.
16:56A common strategy in all battles at sea
16:58was to fight for the enemy's barlow wind position.
17:01That's how the weather control was maintained,
17:03and the battle could be controlled.
17:06Sailing against the wind is a hard job,
17:08even in a modern sailboat.
17:10In the great galleons of the time,
17:12great expertise and coordination were needed.
17:15But if the English wanted to reach that crucial position,
17:19they had to use all their knowledge
17:21to advance westward against the wind
17:24and mock the Spanish fleet.
17:35During the next day,
17:37the Spaniards continued to advance eastward
17:40to the place where they had to meet with their army.
17:43The watchmen were trying to locate the English fleet,
17:46hoping that they would appear before them at some point.
17:49And then, at dawn on Sunday 31,
17:51two days after their arrival,
17:53they were finally spotted.
17:55But to their surprise and astonishment,
17:57the English ships were behind them,
17:59and what's worse,
18:00they were preparing to attack.
18:02The stage was ready for the first battle of the conflict.
18:16The wind was blowing constantly from here, from the west,
18:19and the two squads of the English fleet
18:21were advancing zigzag against the wind,
18:23trying to get it behind them
18:25and get a certain advantage over the Spaniards.
18:28The English fleet was made up of 55 ships,
18:31including the 11 of Drake's squadron.
18:36The Spanish fleet had more than doubled,
18:39more than 120 ships.
18:41Now, they had formed a huge half-moon,
18:44more than two miles in length.
18:46And in the interior of each half-moon,
18:49here and here, there were two huge warships,
18:52huge warships,
18:54at the end of the half-moon, here and here,
18:56there were two warships,
18:58huge warships, each with more than 50 cannons.
19:02In the center, Medina Sidonia,
19:05in front of other larger combat ships.
19:08And around them, the supply ships,
19:10not so well armed, but protected by the half-moon.
19:15It was an impressive defensive formation,
19:17almost impossible to break.
19:20In addition, the fleet had another advantage.
19:23The ships were full of soldiers,
19:25about 350 in each ship.
19:28The Spanish fought in the traditional way.
19:31They took clutches like this,
19:33and they hurled them towards the enemy ships,
19:36they dragged them,
19:37and then they jumped on them
19:39and fought hand-to-hand on the opposite deck.
19:41In this kind of fight,
19:43the Spaniards had a great advantage
19:45due to their huge ships full of soldiers.
19:48The English, with their smaller ships
19:50and their lower crew,
19:51preferred to keep the distance
19:53and fight with their cannons against the enemy.
19:56Both sides not only used different tactics,
20:00but also sailed in very different formations.
20:09This is how the Navy should have been at the time,
20:12forming a block that the British could hardly penetrate
20:15and attack from the sides.
20:17But the situation was also difficult for us,
20:19because we could only shoot at each other.
20:21In addition, we did not have much room for maneuver,
20:23because if one or the other turned,
20:25we would hit each other,
20:26causing a great mess in the fleet.
20:29The English had to do the 1,001 maneuvers
20:31to stay safe from the Spaniards'
20:33abortion clutches.
20:36So they tried something new,
20:38they lined up one after the other,
20:40so that the leader could better control
20:42the position of everyone.
20:45This also meant that all the cannons
20:47located on the sides of the ships
20:49could fire at the same time against the Spaniards,
20:51resulting in much more effective.
21:01The English hoped that their line formation
21:03would allow them to form a circle around the Navy,
21:06while the Spaniards thought that their defensive formation
21:09would allow them to resist any attack.
21:12The English commanders were about to find out
21:14whether their new battle plan
21:16was going to make the Spaniards laugh.
21:22With the wind behind them,
21:24the English could launch their new strategy,
21:26violently attacking the Navy
21:28from two different fronts.
21:31The Spaniards, however,
21:33did not know how to defend themselves
21:35against the Spaniards.
21:38Howard Moses moved around
21:40and he attacked the southern horn
21:42of the Middle Moon formation.
21:46Meanwhile, Drake was going to concentrate
21:48his attack on the far north.
21:51The two commanders knew that
21:53the fate of England was in their hands.
21:59As their ships were turning
22:01towards the Navy fleet,
22:03the Spaniards noticed that
22:05the English sailors were raising their sails
22:07taking advantage of the wind
22:09to go directly into battle.
22:35When they approached for the first time
22:37the gigantic Spanish ships,
22:39they realized the power of the enemy.
23:06But it was an enemy
23:08that had to be defeated.
23:10Otherwise, England would fall.
23:15Under cover, the artillerymen
23:17loaded the cannons, ready to fire.
23:26At last, the Spanish Navy
23:28was only a quarter of a mile away.
23:31The Ark Royal was leading the attack
23:33and the Spanish ships were within reach
23:35of their cannons.
23:37Then the order was given to fire.
24:03Down here, on the deck of the cannons,
24:05the thunder should be terrible.
24:10The well-trained Englishmen
24:12attacked with their cannons
24:14loading and reloading non-stop.
24:21There is no preparation for the noise,
24:24the sweat,
24:27the fear, the thunder.
24:34You act more like an animal
24:36than like a man.
24:38You keep going,
24:40you keep going,
24:42until someone tells you
24:44to stop.
24:48One after another, the English
24:50were able to win the game
24:52against the Spanish
24:54and destroy the cannons
24:56of the ships of the Navy.
24:59And in the meantime,
25:01the English kept their distance
25:03to avoid being approached.
25:07Their strategy worked.
25:17For the Spaniards, it was a hard blow.
25:19They couldn't get close enough
25:21to use their boarding guns.
25:24And while most of the Spanish ships
25:26were protected by their block formation,
25:28the ships located at the ends
25:30received continuous cannon fire
25:32from the English.
25:37What was amazing was the
25:40skill of the English,
25:44the agility of their ships.
25:46We had never encountered
25:48something like that before.
25:50Finally, the English withdrew,
25:52celebrating that not a single
25:54of their ships had been approached.
25:58However, and despite having
26:00fired more than 2,000 cannon shots,
26:02they had not managed to sink
26:04a single Spanish ship.
26:09So far, we have been unable
26:11to cause any real damage
26:13to the Spanish Navy.
26:15We had hit them, of course,
26:17but not hard enough.
26:20The Navy remained intact
26:22and as powerful as ever.
26:26For the time being, the English
26:28had not managed to meddle
26:30in their invasion plans.
26:33For one reason or another,
26:35the English cannons could not
26:37cause enough damage.
26:50Chapter 2
26:52The Battle of the Ships
27:07Right, so let's load these things.
27:10Okay, here's the charge.
27:13Nice and gentle.
27:14Okay, the shot's in the barrel
27:16and ready to go.
27:17How long would it take
27:18to carry out this process
27:19on a ship?
27:20If the crew was well prepared,
27:21and they were going fast,
27:22it should take a minute per shot.
27:24More or less a bullet per minute?
27:25Yes, and the next step
27:26would be to shoot.
27:29That weighs about a kilo and a half.
27:30A kilo and a half of molten iron.
27:32And they went up to a load
27:33ten times that amount.
27:37There she goes, there it is.
27:38Then, to prevent it from falling,
27:40we plug the top.
27:41In the case of those ships,
27:42it was done with old broken ropes.
27:44Now we put straw to prevent
27:46that when the ship moves,
27:47the bullet moves.
27:48To prevent it from falling,
27:49so it doesn't move.
27:51Plug it in.
27:52Well, the straw is ready.
27:53Now I make a little hole in the cartridge.
27:56This releases the gunpowder,
27:57so that when you turn it on,
27:58the gunpowder escapes
27:59and the bullet shoots out the end.
28:01That's right.
28:02Pure physics.
28:03But you have to aim
28:04with the gun at the target.
28:06To the right.
28:07Very good.
28:08Now a little to the left.
28:09A little more.
28:10Too much.
28:11A little back.
28:12That's it.
28:13Yes, that's it.
28:14Right there.
28:15For security reasons,
28:16at the moment of the shot,
28:17we moved away from the cannon.
28:18We went to a well-reinforced bunker.
28:20It's incredible, isn't it?
28:21Have you seen the thickness of the walls?
28:25Right, now,
28:26I bet you I'll aim
28:27at the center of the target.
28:29Five to one.
28:30How about that?
28:32No, I'm not a betting man.
28:33Hey, aren't we playing a lot?
28:34But I think you're going to hit the target.
28:36Five, four, three, two, one.
28:42Fire.
28:46Whoa!
28:47Perfect.
28:48Direct.
28:49Yes, we've hit it.
28:50Very good.
28:51We've aimed well.
28:52Done.
28:53Yes, very good, Dad.
28:54Let's take a look.
28:55Yes, let's see.
29:04If we can do this,
29:05why didn't the English
29:06manage to cause
29:07more damage
29:08to the Spaniards?
29:09Well, it depends
29:10on what we understand
29:11by damage.
29:12You can make a hole
29:13eight centimeters in diameter
29:14on the side of a ship,
29:15but that doesn't mean
29:16it's going to sink
29:17because it can be covered.
29:18You can cause injuries
29:19on board,
29:20destabilize it,
29:21but to really sink
29:22a ship,
29:23you have to fill it
29:24with holes.
29:25So we have to imagine
29:26the Spaniards
29:27moving around
29:28everywhere,
29:29putting caps on.
29:30That's it.
29:31Suffering losses
29:32but covering the holes.
29:33And the ships
29:34didn't sink
29:35even if they were
29:36splashed with holes
29:37like this one?
29:38No, we imagine
29:39that a projectile
29:40tears off
29:41the entire side
29:42of a ship
29:43and hits the ship.
29:44So,
29:45in the course of the battle,
29:46the English sailors
29:47kept their distance.
29:48That meant
29:49that only some occasional bullet
29:50hit the target.
29:51So,
29:52at the end of the day,
29:53the navy
29:54was still sailing
29:55practically unharmed.
29:56After seven hours
29:57of combat,
29:58neither side
29:59had caused
30:00excessive damage
30:01on the contrary.
30:02In fact,
30:03the greatest damage
30:04that the Spaniards
30:05had suffered
30:06was caused
30:07by themselves.
30:08In the middle
30:09of the chaos
30:10of the battle,
30:11two of their ships
30:12had collided.
30:13Instead
30:14of breaking
30:15their formation,
30:16the navy
30:17continued
30:18advancing
30:19towards
30:20its final objective.
30:21One of the
30:22damaged ships
30:23was left behind.
30:24As night
30:25fell,
30:26Drake
30:27went after
30:28the Spanish ships.
30:29With the light
30:30of his lights,
30:31he guided
30:32the rest
30:33of his fleet.
30:34And then
30:35he made
30:36a mistake.
30:37He couldn't
30:38resist
30:39the temptation
30:40of looting
30:41the Spanish ships.
30:42So he turned off
30:43the lights
30:44and slowly
30:45advanced
30:46to loot
30:47the damaged ship.
30:48It was
30:49something
30:50to be proud of.
30:51We had
30:52a Spanish ship
30:53and it was
30:54laden
30:55with gold.
30:56It was a
30:57profitable night
30:58for Drake,
30:59but the rest
31:00of the English fleet
31:01paid a very high price.
31:02Without the light
31:03of his lights
31:04as a guide,
31:05his ships
31:06scattered
31:07and at dawn
31:08the mess
31:09was total.
31:11The English
31:12had to locate
31:13the Spanish,
31:14otherwise
31:15everything
31:16was lost.
31:17Fortunately,
31:18they had something
31:19in their favour
31:20that could
31:21be of help,
31:22the design
31:23of their ships.
31:24The shape
31:25of a ship
31:26determines
31:27its efficiency
31:28in navigation.
31:29The more
31:30stylised a ship
31:31is,
31:32the easier
31:33it is to manoeuvre.
31:34The English
31:35had to
31:36locate
31:37the Spanish
31:38ships
31:39and
31:40they
31:41managed
31:42to do
31:43it.
31:44The Spanish
31:45ships
31:46stood out
31:47from the water.
31:48They were
31:49very big,
31:50too heavy
31:51and bulky.
31:52They could
31:53transport a
31:54lot of
31:55men and
31:56supplies.
31:57They were
31:58like floating
31:59fortresses.
32:00The English
32:01ships
32:02were much
32:03faster
32:04and more
32:05manoeuvrable.
32:06From the
32:07design
32:08of the
32:09ships,
32:10they were
32:11much
32:12faster.
32:13After
32:14a hard
32:15day of
32:16navigation,
32:17they
32:18managed
32:19to reach
32:20them.
32:21It was
32:22Tuesday,
32:23August
32:242nd,
32:25five days
32:26after the
32:27army
32:28arrived.
32:29Medina
32:30Sidonia
32:31had
32:32driven
32:33her ships
32:34up to
32:35here,
32:36through
32:37the
32:38mountains.
32:39Once
32:40again,
32:41the
32:42Spanish
32:43formation
32:44remained
32:45firm.
32:46Once
32:47again,
32:48the
32:49English
32:50did not
32:51achieve
32:52any result.
32:53I
32:54remember
32:55that at
32:56that moment
32:57we felt
32:58frustrated
32:59and at
33:00the same
33:01time
33:02worried
33:03because we
33:04had done
33:05everything
33:06we could
33:07to
33:08keep
33:09them
33:10sailing
33:11without
33:12any problem
33:13apparently.
33:14But
33:15in fact,
33:16Medina
33:17Sidonia
33:18was very
33:19worried.
33:20Although
33:21he had been
33:22waiting for days
33:23to receive
33:24news from
33:25the Spanish
33:26troops in
33:27Flanders,
33:28confirming
33:29that they
33:30were ready
33:31for the
33:32invasion,
33:33at the
33:34moment he
33:35was
33:36on the
33:37coast.
33:38So
33:39once
33:40past
33:41this
33:42point,
33:43the
33:44navy
33:45had no
33:46place
33:47to take
33:48refuge,
33:49not even
33:50in Flanders.
33:51If
33:52the
33:53Spaniards
33:54continued
33:55to
33:56sail,
33:57they
33:58risked
33:59their
34:00army
34:01being
34:02ready
34:03to
34:04attack
34:05them
34:06at
34:07any
34:08time.
34:09It
34:10would be
34:11an easy
34:12task for
34:13his troops
34:14and he
34:15would
34:16allow them
34:17to be
34:18safe in
34:19Solent,
34:20waiting
34:21to receive
34:22news that
34:23the
34:24army
34:25was
34:26ready.
34:27The
34:28English
34:29knew
34:30that they
34:31had to
34:32prevent
34:33the
34:34invasion
34:35of
34:36Flanders,
34:37but
34:38that
34:39day,
34:40unlike
34:41today,
34:42there was
34:43another
34:44problem,
34:45there was
34:46no wind.
34:47The
34:48English
34:49didn't
34:50allow that
34:51to
34:52dissuade
34:53them,
34:54they
34:55threw
34:56small
34:57boats
34:58like
34:59this
35:00into
35:01the
35:02sea,
35:03and
35:04the
35:05English
35:06didn't
35:07allow
35:08them
35:09to
35:10stop
35:11the
35:12invasion
35:13of
35:14Flanders.
35:15The
35:16English
35:17didn't
35:18allow
35:19them
35:20to
35:21stop
35:22the
35:23invasion
35:24of
35:25Flanders.
35:26The
35:27English
35:28didn't
35:29allow
35:30them
35:31to
35:32stop
35:33the
35:34invasion
35:35of
35:36Flanders.
35:37The
35:38English
35:39didn't
35:40allow
35:41them
35:42to
35:43stop
35:44the
35:45invasion
35:46of
35:47Flanders.
35:48The
35:49English
35:50didn't
35:51allow
35:52them
35:53to
35:54stop
35:55the
35:56invasion
35:57of
35:58Flanders.
35:59The
36:00English
36:01didn't
36:02allow
36:03them
36:04to
36:05stop
36:06the
36:07invasion
36:08of
36:09Flanders.
36:10The
36:11English
36:12didn't
36:13allow
36:14them
36:15to
36:16stop
36:17the
36:18invasion
36:19of
36:20Flanders.
36:21The
36:22English
36:23didn't
36:24allow
36:25them
36:26to
36:27stop
36:28the
36:29invasion
36:30of
36:31Flanders.
36:32The
36:33English
36:34didn't
36:35allow
36:36them
36:37to
36:38stop
36:39the
36:40invasion
36:41of
36:42Flanders.
36:43The
36:44English
36:45didn't
36:46allow
36:47them
36:48to
36:49stop
36:50the
36:51invasion
36:52of
36:53Flanders.
36:54The
36:55English
36:56didn't
36:57allow
36:58them
36:59to
37:00stop
37:01the
37:02invasion
37:03of
37:04Flanders.
37:05The
37:06English
37:07didn't
37:08allow
37:09them
37:10to
37:11stop
37:12the
37:13invasion
37:14of
37:15Flanders.
37:16The
37:17English
37:18didn't
37:19allow
37:20them
37:21to
37:22stop
37:23the
37:24invasion
37:25of
37:26Flanders.
37:27The
37:28English
37:29didn't
37:30allow
37:31them
37:32to
37:33stop
37:34the
37:35invasion
37:36of
37:37Flanders.
37:38The
37:39English
37:40didn't
37:41allow
37:42them
37:43to
37:44stop
37:45the
37:46invasion
37:47of
37:48Flanders.
37:49The
37:50English
37:51didn't
37:52allow
37:53them
37:54to
37:55stop
37:56the
37:57invasion
37:58of
37:59Flanders.
38:00The
38:01English
38:02didn't
38:03allow
38:04them
38:05to
38:06stop
38:07the
38:08invasion
38:09of
38:10Flanders.
38:11The
38:12English
38:13didn't
38:14allow
38:15them
38:16to
38:17stop
38:18the
38:19invasion
38:20of
38:21Flanders.
38:22The
38:23English
38:24didn't
38:25allow
38:26them
38:27to
38:28stop
38:29the
38:30invasion
38:31of
38:32Flanders.
38:33The
38:34English
38:35didn't
38:36allow
38:37them
38:38to
38:39stop
38:40the
38:41invasion
38:42of
38:43Flanders.
38:44The
38:45English
38:46didn't
38:47allow
38:48them
38:49to
38:50stop
38:51the
38:52invasion
38:53of
38:54Flanders.
38:55The
38:56English
38:57didn't
38:58allow
38:59them
39:00to
39:01stop
39:02the
39:03invasion
39:04of
39:05Flanders.
39:06The
39:07English
39:08didn't
39:09allow
39:10them
39:11to
39:12stop
39:13the
39:14invasion
39:15of
39:16Flanders.
39:17The
39:18English
39:19didn't
39:20allow
39:21them
39:22to
39:23stop
39:24the
39:25invasion
39:26of
39:27Flanders.
39:28The
39:29English
39:30didn't
39:31allow
39:32them
39:33to
39:34stop
39:35the
39:36invasion
39:37of
39:38Flanders.
39:39The
39:40English
39:41didn't
39:42allow
39:43them
39:44to
39:45stop
39:46the
39:47invasion
39:48of
39:49Flanders.
39:50The
39:51English
39:52didn't
39:53allow
39:54them
39:55to
39:56stop
39:57the
39:58invasion
39:59of
40:00Flanders.
40:01The
40:02English
40:03didn't
40:04allow
40:05them
40:06to
40:07stop
40:08the
40:09invasion
40:10of
40:11Flanders.
40:12The
40:13English
40:14didn't
40:15allow
40:16them
40:17to
40:18stop
40:19the
40:20invasion
40:21of
40:22Flanders.
40:23The
40:24English
40:25didn't
40:26allow
40:27them
40:28to
40:29stop
40:30the
40:31invasion
40:32of
40:33Flanders.
40:34The
40:35English
40:36didn't
40:37allow
40:38them
40:39to
40:40stop
40:41the
40:42invasion
40:43of
40:44Flanders.
40:45The
40:46English
40:47didn't
40:48allow
40:49them
40:50to
40:51stop
40:52the
40:53invasion
40:54of
40:55Flanders.
40:56The
40:57English
40:58didn't
40:59allow
41:00them
41:01to
41:02stop
41:03the
41:04invasion
41:05of
41:06Flanders.
41:07The
41:08English
41:09didn't
41:10allow
41:11them
41:12to
41:13stop
41:14the
41:15invasion
41:16of
41:17Flanders.
41:18The
41:19English
41:20didn't
41:21allow
41:22them
41:23to
41:24stop
41:25the
41:26invasion
41:27of
41:28Flanders.
41:29The
41:30English
41:31didn't
41:32allow
41:33them
41:34to
41:35stop
41:36the
41:37invasion
41:38of
41:39Flanders.
41:40The
41:41English
41:42didn't
41:43allow
41:44them
41:45to
41:46stop
41:47the
41:48invasion
41:49of
41:50Flanders.
41:51The
41:52English
41:53didn't
41:54allow
41:55them
41:56to
41:57stop
41:58the
41:59invasion
42:00of
42:01Flanders.
42:02The
42:03English
42:04didn't
42:05allow
42:06them
42:07to
42:08stop
42:09the
42:10invasion
42:11of
42:12Flanders.
42:13The
42:14English
42:15didn't
42:16allow
42:17them
42:18to
42:19stop
42:20the
42:21invasion
42:22of
42:23Flanders.
42:24The
42:25English
42:26didn't
42:27allow
42:28them
42:29to
42:30stop
42:31the
42:32invasion
42:33of
42:34Flanders.
42:35The
42:36English
42:37didn't
42:38allow
42:39them
42:40to
42:41stop
42:42the
42:43invasion
42:44of
42:45Flanders.
42:46In
42:47the
42:48confusion,
42:49the
42:50Spanish
42:51ships
42:52scattered
42:53along
42:54and
42:55wide.
42:56There
42:57were
42:58several
42:59collisions
43:00and
43:01even
43:02one
43:03remained
43:04silent.
43:05Even
43:06though
43:07not
43:08a single
43:09Spanish
43:10ship
43:11went
43:12past
43:13the
43:14flames,
43:15the
43:16English
43:17ships
43:18disappeared.
43:19Incredibly,
43:20at that
43:21critical
43:22moment,
43:23Howar
43:24had also
43:25shown
43:26that he
43:27had his
43:28pirate
43:29vein
43:30and
43:31had gone
43:32to
43:33get
43:34his
43:35pirate
43:36vein
43:37and
43:38his
43:39pirate
43:40vein
43:41and
43:42his
43:43pirate
43:44and
43:45he
43:46had gone
43:47to loot
43:48the
43:49Spanish
43:50ship
43:51that
43:52had
43:53been
43:54set
43:55aground.
43:56Once
43:57more,
43:58The
43:59English
44:00greed
44:01costed
44:01them a
44:02precious
44:03time.
44:03While
44:04Howar
44:05was pursuing
44:06the
44:06Spanish
44:07boat,
44:07Drake
44:08was directing
44:09the excess
44:09British
44:10fleet
44:10towards
44:11a different
44:11battle
44:12from the
44:12one in the
44:13past kind
44:13in which both sides knew that the fate of the Navy was going to be decided.
44:17The ships in flames of the English had scattered the fleet of the Navy along the coast.
44:22Only the flagship of Medina Sidonia and four others had managed to stay firm here.
44:29And they took the worst part of Drake's first attack.
44:44For more than an hour, Medina Sidonia managed to contain the English invasion,
44:49giving time to the Navy to reorganize.
44:58Finally, Howard returned from his peculiar exhibition of looting and joined the attack.
45:03At that time, 50 Spanish ships had formed their own defensive crescent,
45:09and Drake sailed willing to attack them,
45:12after realizing that this solid group of the Spanish fleet was the axis that had to be shot down.
45:19Drake decided to take a huge risk.
45:22He approached his ships much more than in any of the previous battles.
45:27Very soon, his ships were among the ships of the Navy.
45:38The experience that the people on board had,
45:41and the fact that they had the opportunity to see it for themselves,
45:44was something that would not have been possible without the support of the Spanish Navy.
45:48The experience that the people on board had,
45:51and the fact that they had the opportunity to see it for themselves,
45:54was something that would not have been possible without the support of the Spanish Navy.
45:57The experience that the people on board had,
46:00and the fact that they had the opportunity to see it for themselves,
46:03was something that would not have been possible without the support of the Spanish Navy.
46:06The experience that the people on board had,
46:09had to be very different from that of other battles.
46:12The ships were now so close that both sides could shoot their muskets,
46:15and even launch themselves improperly.
46:18An English ship was so close to a Spanish ship,
46:21that a robust English sailor, half-crazy, jumped on board, dying on the spot.
46:31We were so close that we could hear what the Spaniards were saying.
46:34I mean, we were right in front of their muskets.
46:47As they got closer, the English were finally able to attack the Navy,
46:50with one shot after another,
46:52causing terrible damage to their crew and their ships.
47:00The Spaniards suffered a large number of casualties,
47:03because the English ships attacked them from a short distance.
47:12Under deck, the cannonballs destroyed the hull of the Spanish ships,
47:15killing the lives of anyone who crossed their path,
47:18and throwing splinters of the size of a dagger into the air.
47:34The deck just lay there, covered in blood.
47:39Every, every moment, you could hear screams of terror,
47:42cries of pain, screams of despair.
47:55Whilst the English opened fire,
47:58the Spaniards were only able to fire once,
48:01every hour, or even less.
48:04Their movements were slow due to their lack of experience.
48:10These guns are very complicated to use,
48:13and on board the Spanish ships,
48:16there were more priests than well-trained gunners.
48:19Instead, it was the job of the soldiers to fire the guns,
48:22without any experience in naval combat.
48:25So for most of the battle, the Spaniards couldn't even defend themselves.
48:29It was...
48:31It was horrible.
48:35I remember praying to God,
48:39thinking that would be my last one.
48:59Get out of here!
49:09Get out of here!
49:10Get out of here!
49:15Get out of here!
49:28After eight hours of intense combat,
49:30the English ran out of ammunition.
49:36We fired so hard, and we caused so much damage,
49:39that by the end of the battle,
49:41we took anything that was within our reach.
49:44We used chains instead of cannonballs.
49:46We loaded the cannons with everything we could find at hand.
49:57Around four in the afternoon,
49:59the English made their last shots,
50:01and had to retreat.
50:03They hoped they had caused fatal damage to the Spaniards.
50:10Get out of here!
50:16The Spanish fleet was destroyed.
50:19Over 600 Spaniards were killed,
50:21and several hundred were seriously injured.
50:24One of their ships had sunk.
50:26Two had been dragged to the shore,
50:28and the rest had suffered serious damage.
50:31And now the wind was blowing,
50:33and it was taking them irreparably to the traditional sandbanks of Flanders.
50:40With the English fleet in the sea,
50:42and the wind dragging their ships
50:44to the sandbanks along the coast,
50:46the silence on the ships was total,
50:48and all the attention was on one man,
50:50the one in charge of throwing a lead buoy
50:52into the water to measure its depth.
50:58If their ships sank, their death would be inevitable.
51:01Either they would drown,
51:03or they would fall into the hands of the English.
51:06As the sandbanks drew nearer and nearer,
51:08the depth of the waters was increasingly a greater threat.
51:11Fifteen feet, and then finally twelve feet.
51:14The largest ships in the fleet required nine feet of water.
51:17The end was near.
51:26On board the ships, the priests made the last confessions.
51:30Most of the sailors did not even know
51:32what they were saying.
51:34Most of the sailors did not even know how to swim.
51:37Death seemed inevitable.
51:42Just as the ships were about to sink,
51:44the wind changed.
51:46It came rising from the southeast,
51:48and threw the fleet into the sea of the north.
51:51They believed that they had been saved by the will of God.
51:56Perhaps the wind saved the Spaniards from the sandbanks,
51:59but it also drove them away from their army.
52:02Philip's great plan to conquer England
52:04and return it to the Catholic redeeming had failed.
52:10For the British Navy, it was a great success.
52:15Drake and Howard had faced the most powerful nation in the world,
52:19and had won the battle.
52:21But for the Spaniards,
52:23the story was going to take a tremendous and definitive turn.
52:33The Spanish sailors now only had one goal,
52:36to return home.
52:38The English continued to block the channel,
52:41and therefore their only way to return to Spain
52:44was to board Scotland and Ireland and go home.
52:47It was a long and arduous journey.
52:50Soon, some of the food was running out.
52:53By the time the fleet arrived in Ireland,
52:56some men died of thirst and drowning.
52:59Conditions on board had to be terrible.
53:02You could hear people moaning.
53:04You could hear people dying all around you.
53:07You could smell the sweat of death.
53:10The air smelled of death.
53:12Some of the ships,
53:14one in particular,
53:16ran out of water and food.
53:19Nothing.
53:21It was a terrible disaster.
53:37The weather conditions gave the final blow to the fleet.
53:42Many of the ships that had survived
53:44had to face violent storms
53:46as they crossed the west coast of Ireland.
53:51The broken ships and the weakened men
53:54could not fight the elements.
53:56They were poorly equipped to face that situation.
54:02Dozens of ships sank,
54:04and thousands of sailors drowned.
54:07Many of those who managed to land
54:10were robbed by the locals.
54:13The rest were captured
54:15and later killed by the English soldiers.
54:23Only the nobles survived.
54:25They were made prisoners
54:27and later sold back to Spain.
54:32I lost everything I had.
54:36I look around me,
54:38and I feel I have lost everything.
54:55Only a third of the men came back alive.
54:58Medina Sidonia almost died of dysentery,
55:02and her second officer died of pain
55:04a few days after he arrived home.
55:08The Armada was nothing more than a failure.
55:11It was a national tragedy.
55:25The English sailors were not much better.
55:29They had risked everything.
55:31They had fought heroically for England,
55:34and had hardly suffered 100 casualties
55:37at the hands of the Spaniards.
55:41But now that they had fulfilled their purpose,
55:44the English crown seemed to have lost interest in them.
55:47Instead of being awarded as saviors of England,
55:50they had to stay on board the ships
55:53where the diseases spread rapidly.
55:56Officially, they were there in case the Spaniards returned,
55:59but many suspected it was simply because they could not pay them.
56:03Weakened by hunger and disease,
56:05the English sailors were dying day by day.
56:10I have heard that Lord Chancellor is happy for the deaths that occur,
56:14because the more people die, the less he will have to pay.
56:20I have been willing to give my life,
56:23and now I am told that my life is worth little or almost nothing.
56:29The commanders of the crew, Drake and Howar,
56:32did everything they could, even paying with their own pocket money.
56:35Howar managed to get his money, but it was not enough.
56:38It is said that after a year,
56:40only half of the men who fought against the Spanish Navy were still alive.
56:46It was a tragic end for the men of the British Navy,
56:49but for England, the defeat of the Invincible Navy was a turning point,
56:54a triumph that would become a legend.
56:59England had managed to defend its faith,
57:02and today Great Britain is still a Protestant country.
57:06The following centuries witnessed the Spanish decline
57:09and the transformation of Great Britain into a European leader.
57:13The British Navy would play an essential role
57:16for Great Britain to become the greatest empire in history.
57:21And it all began with the defeat of the Spanish Navy.
57:28It has nothing to do with the technique of battle.
57:46To be continued...
58:16To be continued...