I made a model clipper ship and then drew a background picture of a Spanish Galleon.
I added flames to create a scene from the defeat of the Spanish Armada!
Defeat of the Spanish ArmadaBy Jordin Annett
In the 16th century, Spain was the most powerful country in Europe. Spain was bringing in boat loads of gold, had already established more than one colony in the new world, and had the strongest fleet of ships called an armada. Naturally, the other countries were jealous; especially England. Oh boy, was she mad! So what does England do? Does she go find her own gold? Of course not. England turned privateer and started capturing Spanish galleons filled with riches. Under the command of Francis Drake, England captured many gold-laden ships. For Drakes “heroic” efforts Queen Elizabeth (who is at the time England’s ruler) knights him,” Sir Francis Drake”, and proclaims him a national hero. What does Spain call him? A master thief.
It was the year 1588 when Spain declared she had had enough. That meant war! All of Europe was in an uproar! How would England survive? The Spaniards were skilled
swordsmen! There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Spain would win. Soon after Spain declared war, she sent her armada to England.
The Spanish armada consisted of mostly huge war ships called galleons. A galleon was armed with hundreds of guns depending on the size of the ship. This is not something you want to come face to face with. There was only one problem; the galleons could not go very fast. You wouldn’t think that’s much of a problem but that would be there undoing. When the mighty armada got to England, instead of surrendering, England put up a fight. Of coarse the Spanish weren’t expecting this. The English had small fast ships that could easily out run the heavy galleons of the Spanish. What made matters worse, for the Spaniards, was that the English knew that. So Drake sent England’s armada into the crowded bay. The little ships were moving in and out, firing at the slow galleons under belly, creating holes were the crew couldn’t fix them. Plus, Drake sent out old burning ships into the bay. It seamed as if the elements were against the Spanish also, for the wind was blowing fiercely, which carried the embers onto the Spanish ships. You can guess the outcome.
England won against all odds. Defeating the most powerful country in Europe is a big deal. You can bet your boots that everyone heard about the battle. The Spanish nation was in total shock and despair. They had been defeated badly and in the mean time had lost 63 ships as well as 20,000 men. England didn’t lose any ships (except for of coarse, the ships that were purposely set on fire) and only lost 100 men, a very small amount compared to the Spanish losses. Now England was the country to watch and the most powerful one to boot.
I admire the English way of thinking. They thought through the battle and did something no one had ever done. Using their strength (fast ships) to help defeat the one weakness the Spanish armada had (slow ships) took a lot of thought and guts. Tradition was a big thing at that time. No one dared to think outside the box since it just wasn’t done. I also admire the attitude of “I am not going to give up”. I think that is a great quality to have. The other thing that impressed me is that even though England was the underdog they came out on top against all odds. This period in history has taught me to never under estimate anyone because of his or her outward appearance, to try new ideas, and solve problems with a can-do attitude.
