Spanish Armada

A departure that took more than one day

The fleet left the Tagus in 1588 under Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, Duke of Medina Sidonia, with Juan Martínez de Recalde as his principal naval deputy.

A contemporary printed relation catalogued by the Folger Shakespeare Library says the Armada began emerging from Lisbon's harbour on 29 May and completed its departure on 30 May, and a contemporary map held by the National Museum of the Royal Navy also dates the sailing to 29 May. Other museum chronologies describe the prolonged movement as running from 28 to 30 May, which is where the traditional date comes from.

Spain and Portugal had adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1582, so no calendar conversion applies to the Iberian departure date.

How many ships, and how many men

Royal Museums Greenwich reckons the fleet at 138 ships carrying more than 25,000 seamen and soldiers. The Museu Marítim de Barcelona gives about 130 ships with 8,000 sailors and 18,000 soldiers.

The totals differ because they count differently: whether small craft, dispatch vessels, volunteers, servants, clergy, and other noncombatants are included changes the answer. Nor was this a uniform body of 130 warships — it mixed galleons, galleasses, galleys, armed merchantmen, transports, and smaller support craft.

Toward Parma, by way of a storm

The immediate mission was to sail toward the Netherlands and rendezvous with the Duke of Parma's army for the planned crossing to England. Medina Sidonia held overall command; he had recognized naval-administrative ability but little significant experience commanding at sea.

By 30 May the fleet had cleared Lisbon and turned north. It did not sail straight into the Channel: bad weather scattered it and forced ships into A Coruña for repairs, delaying the campaign until July.