In 1588, from which port did the Spanish Armada set sail?

The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 is an event that has had a prominent place in popular English history. However, popular conceptions have more to do with the defenders' supposed heroics and enterprise, rather than with the basic practicalities of organising the Armada and an attempted invasion of England.

On 28 May 1588, the Armada set sail from Lisbon. The fleet was composed of 130 ships, 8,000 sailors and 18,000 soldiers, and bore 1,500 brass guns and 1,000 iron guns. It included 28 purpose-built warships, of which 20 were galleons, four were galleys and four were Neapolitan galleasses. The remaining heavy vessels were mostly armed carracks and hulks, along with 34 light ships. The huge fleet took two days to leave port. It headed for the English Channel.

In the subsequent events rough weather aided the English defenders. A running battle ensued in the Channel. Ships from Plymouth attacked the Armada as it proceeded eastwards off the south coast of England. The Armada anchored off Calais and was then scattered by an English fireship night attack; it was further damaged and at risk of running aground on the Dutch coast when the wind changed. The Armada withdrew north, with the English fleet pursuing it up the east coast of England. As the Armada tried to return to Spain around Scotland and Ireland, it was disrupted further by storms. Many ships were wrecked on the coasts of Scotland and Ireland; more than a third of the initial fleet failed to return to Spain.