Atlantic Warfare Yesterday : 363 



nating aspects of court and civil life in the Restoration, also gives us 

 a picture of admiralty problems. 



Neglect of the navy is not, however, an exclusive prerogative of 

 kings and kingdoms; presidents and democracies may be guilty in 

 this regard. While a Washington and an Adams may have a just ap- 

 preciation of the value of naval strength, a Jefferson and many of his 

 successors may misunderstand and neglect the whole bothersome 

 matter. 



In the case of Queen Elizabeth the attention and encouragement 

 which she had given to the navy and its seamen paid off handsomely 

 in a single extended engagement. 



This naval action, even though it was fought in European portions 

 of the Atlantic and even though it took place when North America 

 was still an unsettled wilderness, had an effect on the pattern of 

 settlement of this continent. In a general way we may say that the 

 relative strength of Spain and England hung in the balance in July 

 1588 and that the last ten days of the month settled the issue. 



Spain claimed almost the entire New World but England, under 

 Queen Elizabeth, was proving troublesome. Drake, Hawkins, Caven- 

 dish and others were taking Spanish treasure ships and looting and 

 burning Spanish settlements — not only on the Atlantic shores but 

 even in the Pacific. They had already made an attempt to settle in 

 Virginia and evidently more attempts were in preparation. King 

 Philip decided to settle the matter in a radical way by invading Eng- 

 land. 



With this in mind he assembled a fleet of 132 ships manned by 

 about 9,000 seamen and 2,000 galley slaves. This was the Armada, 

 but its purpose was not so much to win a sea battle as to effect a 

 landing and to take over the land itself. It was also to bring relief to 

 the Duke of Parma whose ports at Dunquerque and Nieuport were 

 under blockade. With this in mind the whole operation had been 

 placed in command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, a soldier and a 

 landsman, and the ships had been fortified like castles and burdened 

 with 22,000 soldiers. 



The Armada entered the Channel July 19, but despite the brisk 

 winds the Spanish galleons were clumsy and slow, their firepower 

 heavy but short and inaccurate. The English had assembled a mixed 

 fleet numbering 140 ships of all types and sizes under Lord Howard 

 who assigned separate squadrons to Drake, Hawkins and Frobisher. 

 As the Spanish swept into the Channel the English closed in behind 



