The Drake/Norris expedition of 1589, also known as the English Armada was sent by Queen Elizabeth I to the Iberian coast in order to cause Philip II to call for peace. Unfortunately, the Drake/Norris expedition failed. The fleet of warships suffered heavy losses while attempting to carry out their three adjectives.
Led by Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Norris (Norreys), the Drake/Norris expedition was sent during the Anglo-Spanish War, shortly after England had severely injured Spain with the removal of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The Drake/Norris expedition consisted of six royal galleons, sixty English armed merchantmen, sixty Dutch flyboats and twenty pinnaces. Troops as well as four thousand sailors, one thousand five hundred officers were spread out among the ships.
The Aims Of The Drake/Norris Expedition:
To remove the Spanish Atlantic Fleet
To raise a revolt against Philip II in Lisbon
Establish permanent base in Azores
If they succeeded in these, then they were to seize the Spanish Treasure Fleet, which would have been a major boon for England.
The Five Squadrons And FlagShips of The Drake/Norris Expedition:
Revenge led by Sir Francis Drake.
Nonpareil led by Sir John Norreys.
Foresight led by Edward Norreys (Sir John's brother)
Dreadnought led by Thomas Fenner.
Swiftsure led by Roger Williams.
The Drake/Norris expedition was doomed from the start. Too many mistakes happened for them to win out their objectives. First Drake bypassed Santander, where the Spanish Atlantic Fleet was being refit. He decided to attack Corunna instead, where the Spanish Fleet restocked the defenders frequently. In just this seige alone, Drake lost four captians, several hundred troops, and about three thousand other personell. This caused the Dutch to bail, many heading back to England. Very few of the Spanish Atlantic Fleet were destroyed, a grand total of thirteen.
The Lisbon uprising went about as well as the Spanish Atlantic Fleet. By the time Drake arrived in Lisbon, the Portuguese had already fortified it. Even though Drake seized twenty French ships, and sixty Hanseatic ships that were running the English trade blockade, and destroyed Lisbon's graneries, Drake could not win Lisbon. In fact the seizure of the ships ended up with Drake publicly posting justification for doing so by the Queen herself. The Queen felt no need to enter into a land war.
After failure of the last two aims, Drake once again attempted to make the campaign a success by fulfilling the final aim of Azores. But Portugal had beat him to it again, and Drake was not even able to land in Azores. At this point his troops and ships were barely held together and a far smaller number then Drake started out with. Norreys brought the sick and wounded home to England, while Drake attempted one last ditch effort; the capture of the Spanish Treasure Fleet. Needless to say, he returned a dismal failure, creating one of the biggest naval disappointments in history.