# Question regarding the 1587 attack on Cadiz
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 4, 2022, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350 "2022-11-04T14:57:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2022, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350/1 "2022-11-04T14:57:21Z")
I can’t seem to find the name of the Spanish Armada flagship destroyed by Sir Francis Drake’s raid on Cadiz harbor. Lots on Drake’s fleet online. _emphasized text_
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350/2 "2022-11-04T15:11:34Z")
My best guess is it was the _São Martinho_.
> **[São Martinho (1580)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A3o_Martinho_(1580))**
>
> São Martinho or San Martín (meaning Saint Martin), built as a Portuguese Navy galleon, became the flagship of Duke of Medina Sedonia, commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armada.
> When the Kingdom of Portugal came under the rule of King Philip II of Spain (Philip I of Portugal), in 1580, the Portuguese had just finished building a large galleon named São Martinho. She was known by Castilians as San Martín. At the time of forming the Spanish Armada, São Martinho was found to be the best of the fleet ...
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### Author:  [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)
#### Post date: [November 4, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350/3 "2022-11-04T17:00:32Z")
Thanks Whack-a-Mole. This was a consequential attack on the armada led by a novice commander-in-chief. You’d think there would be more scholarly work on the in-and-outs of the armada. Maybe there is, just not in English.
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2022, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350/4 "2022-11-06T12:29:12Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
>
> My best guess is it was the _São Martinho_.
That link says she was active during the Armada a year after Drake’s attack on Cadiz.
As far as I know, the ships at Cadiz did not have an overall naval commander, thus no flagship. They were in Cadiz to provision before joining the Armada in Lisbon. Alonso Pérez de Guzmán (who would receive command of the Spanish Armada months later) did direct the defense of Cadiz from ashore (He was captain-general for the defense of Andalusia). Despite his appointment the following February, he had no experience as a naval commander.
I wonder if Guzmán‘s presence at Cadiz led someone to make the assumption that the Armada’s flagship was also present and among the 26 or 36\* ships destroyed in Drake’s raid.
\*This confusion by historians speaks to just how little is known about the ships actually envolved.
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### Author:  [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2022, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350/5 "2022-11-09T13:51:38Z")
To have a flagship, the boss has to be there … for the Battle of Cadiz, the top boss was in Lisbon.
That was Álvaro de Bazán, Marquis of Santa Cruz , who had not yet formed an armada by the time of Cadiz. He is having trouble with lack of funds and empowerment from the king…
But Alvaro dies, and his replacement, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, chooses the Sao Martinho…for the 1588 amada…
The question may be moot - there was no navy top brass at Cadiz for a nominal “flagship” to be there . Maybe it was at Lisbon with the top brass ?
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### Author:  [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2022, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350/6 "2022-11-09T14:14:20Z")
> [@Isilder](#):
>
> But Alvaro dies, and his replacement, the Duke of Medina Sidonia, chooses the Sao Martinho…for the 1588 amada…
To clarify, the Duke of Medina Sidonia was Alonso Pérez de Guzmán who directed the shore defenses at Cadiz during the Drake raid. So, the _future_ commander of the Spanish Armada _was_ at Cadiz.
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### Author:  [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)
#### Post date: [November 9, 2022, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350/7 "2022-11-09T14:22:45Z")
Pedro Bravo de Acuña , who later became far more famous (eg as Gov of Phillipines),
was there, but he wasn’t even meant to be boss, he was just the most senior officer present. He pretty much defended the land , firing guns and other actions that kept Drake’s forces from landing. The spanish did manage to capture a British ship, but that may be due to its involvement in a landing attempt ? No spanish navy is required to capture the british ship in that event.
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### Author:  [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)
#### Post date: [November 10, 2022, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-1587-attack-on-cadiz/974350/8 "2022-11-10T07:22:35Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#):
>
> > [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
> >
> > My best guess is it was the _São Martinho_.
>
> That link says she was active during the Armada a year after Drake’s attack on Cadiz.
>
> As far as I know, the ships at Cadiz did not have an overall naval commander, thus no flagship. They were in Cadiz to provision before joining the Armada in Lisbon. Alonso Pérez de Guzmán (who would receive command of the Spanish Armada months later) did direct the defense of Cadiz from ashore (He was captain-general for the defense of Andalusia). Despite his appointment the following February, he had no experience as a naval commander.
>
> I wonder if Guzmán‘s presence at Cadiz led someone to make the assumption that the Armada’s flagship was also present and among the 26 or 36\* ships destroyed in Drake’s raid.
>
> \*This confusion by historians speaks to just how little is known about the ships actually envolved.
Thanks Elmer\_j. Fudd for this helpful clarification.