Drake’s raid on Cádiz in April 1587 destroyed roughly 30 ships and large quantities of supplies, setting Spanish Armada preparations back by a year.

Evidence

Singeing the King of Spain’s Beard (Wikipedia)

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim
• XREF: connects to: Surviving Cadiz permanently cured English sailors of fearing shore guns, galleys, and fire-ships. — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 243; On April 29, 1587, the English fleet sailed into the harbor of Cádiz, attacking anchored ships, seizing cargo, and setting the ships on fire. — Battle of Cádiz (1587); It was bad luck, bad tactics and bad weather that defeated the Spanish Armada—not the derring-do displayed by Elizabeth’s intrepid sea dogs. — How the Spanish Armada Was Really Defeated (+5 more)

Related

• Much of the Spanish fleet assembling in the Bay of Cádiz was destroyed and substantial supplies destroyed or captured, delaying Armada preparations by a year. (similarity 0.91)
• It was bad luck, bad tactics and bad weather that defeated the Spanish Armada—not the derring-do displayed by Elizabeth’s intrepid sea dogs. (similarity 0.89)
• On April 29, 1587, the English fleet sailed into the harbor of Cádiz, attacking anchored ships, seizing cargo, and setting the ships on fire. (similarity 0.89)
• Drake reported burning 16-17 hundred hoops and pipe-staves that would have made 25-30 thousand tons of casks, forcing Spain a year later to supply the Armada’s food under that loss. (similarity 0.89)
• Drake sailed into Cadiz destroying Spanish ships, and a huge stock of barrels was burned that were intended to transport stores, whose loss would affect essential food and water supplies for the… (similarity 0.88)
• No Spanish ship was lost other than the eight fire ships; the fireships’ main effect was forcing the Spanish to scatter. (similarity 0.87)
• Drake’s 1587 raid destroyed thousands of barrel staves essential for storage barrels, which would later affect the Spanish Armada of 1588 due to a shortage of food and drink. (similarity 0.86)
• Ships lost their anchors, and drifted out to sea to avoid catching fire, causing the Spanish ships’ formation to be completely broken. (similarity 0.86)
• Surviving Cadiz permanently cured English sailors of fearing shore guns, galleys, and fire-ships. (similarity 0.84)
• Over half the Spanish Armada ships were lost along with fifteen thousand men (similarity 0.84)
• The Spanish ships’ heavy guns. They sustained serious damage and casualties without being able to reply effectively. Three Spanish ships were… (similarity 0.83)
• Though not a single Spanish ship was, in fact, torched by the attack, the fireships caused many to cut their anchor cables in panic to avoid… (similarity 0.83)
• The next day, the English continued their attacks, despite the Spanish use of heavy onshore guns and fireships sent in to disrupt the English. (similarity 0.83)
• The fireships caused great confusion, forcing the Spanish ships to cut their cables in order to save themselves. (similarity 0.81)
• Because Drake captured more than 1,000 tons of seasoned wood, the Spanish had to make their barrels from unseasoned wood, which couldn’t preserve food and water, causing supply problems and… (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Over half the Spanish Armada ships were lost along with fifteen thousand men #expands (0.65) — John Sugden, Sir Francis Drake, 1080