On April 29, 1587, the English fleet sailed into the harbor of Cádiz, attacking anchored ships, seizing cargo, and setting the ships on fire.

Evidence

Battle of Cádiz (1587) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

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; 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. — Singeing the King of Spain’s Beard

Related

• 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. (similarity 0.89)
• 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 0.87)
• 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)
• 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 0.85)
• 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 0.85)
• No Spanish ship was lost other than the eight fire ships; the fireships’ main effect was forcing the Spanish to scatter. (similarity 0.85)
• The fireships caused great confusion, forcing the Spanish ships to cut their cables in order to save themselves. (similarity 0.83)
• Surviving Cadiz permanently cured English sailors of fearing shore guns, galleys, and fire-ships. (similarity 0.82)
• The English sent fire ships into the Spanish anchorage at Calais, and prevailing winds and storms ultimately scattered and destroyed the Spanish fleet on its retreat. (similarity 0.82)
• 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 0.82)
• The Spanish ships’ heavy guns. They sustained serious damage and casualties without being able to reply effectively. Three Spanish ships were… (similarity 0.80)
• Drake quickly formed his four great galleons, each English ship firing a full broadside as she passed. (similarity 0.79)
• 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 0.79)
• 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 0.79)
• Naval galleys and barricaded sally ports failed to stop the English assault. (similarity 0.79)