On 12 Apr 1587 an English fleet commanded by Francis Drake (age 47) left Plymouth, Devon [Map].

On 29 Apr 1587 the English fleet commanded by Francis Drake (age 47) entered the Bay of Cádiz Spain in the evening to discover sixty Spanish and twenty French ships. The Spanish ships, under the command of Pedro de Acuña, sailed out to meet the English fleet but were forced to retire back to Cadiz before the superiority of the English. Gun positions on the shore opened fire, shelling the English fleet from the coast with little effect. During the night of the 29th and all the following day and night the battle raged in the bay. At dawn on 1 May, the English withdrew having destroyed around thirty-two Spanish ships, with a combined capacity of 10,000 tons, and captured four other ships, laden with provisions.

On 08 Jun 1587 the English fleet commanded by Francis Drake (age 47) sighted a Portuguese carrack, the São Filipe, twenty leagues from the Island of São Miguel, returning from the Indies laden with treasure. After a brief exchange of fire it was captured, the first ship to be so on the return run from the Indies. Its enormous fortune of gold, spices, and silk was valued at £108,000 (of which 10% was to go to Francis Drake (age 47)); the fleet returned to England, arriving on 06 July 1587. The expedition led by Francis Drake (age 47) was a resounding military success: over one hundred Spanish vessels of different tonnages were destroyed or captured during the expedition. Economic and material losses caused to the Spanish fleet by the English attack ensured that Spanish plans for the invasion of England had to be postponed for over a year. It was not until Aug 1588 that the Armada was ready to leave for the British Isles.