The Defeat of the Spanish Armada: How Changing Maritime Tech Changed the World

Spanish Galleons were designed primarily as transports for long ocean voyages

Sir John Hawkins, the chief architect of the Elizabethan English fleet. He also served as an Admiral in the English Navy.

He had dreams of glory but Philip II of Spain's ambitions went down with his fleet in 1588.

Elizabeth I of England

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Portrait of Alonso P

Mathew Baker, one of the most famous ship designers of his age, reputedly was the first person to put the practice of shipbuilding down on paper.

Routes taken by the Spanish Armada prior to its showdown with English forces.

A replica of the galleon, the Golden Hind, docked in St Mary Overie Dock, England. The original ship was put under the command of Sir Francis Drake. In addition to its notoriety in the war with Spain, the ship also gained fame for circumnavigating the globe.

The English galleon, HMS Revenge, built by Matthew Baker.

The galleon HMS Ark Royal originally was ordered for Sir Walter Raleigh. It later was honored by the British Royal Navy, which named several other battleships as the "Ark Royal," honoring the original's half century career, including its deployment against the Spanish Armada.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada off the English coast.

19th Century take on the event: The Spanish Armada leaving the port of Ferrol, a painting by Oswald W. Brierly.

Martin Bodman This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License.

Stone huts like the Culmstock Beacon served as communications signals when the Spanish Armada was sighted in the English Channel in 1588.

The Armada in Sight

Thomas Nugent l:censed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence

One of three cannons in the garden of the Mclean Museum & Art Gallery recovered from one of the Spanish warships wrecked during the battle.

Simon Huguet. l:censed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence

Spanish Point memorial commemorating the area off the coast of Scotland where much of the Spanish Armada was destroyed as it sought to return home in 1588. The inscription on the stone marks the visit of the King and Queen of Spain to the site in 1986.

Paul O'Farrell and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence

Duncannon Fort was was built in 1588 in advance of an expected attack by Spain.

Portrait Miniature of Sir Francis Drake painted in 1581 by the limner Nicholas Hilliard.