IT SOMETIMES PAYS TO BE SMALL
More than three hundred years ago, the small English Navy met and
defeated the big Spanish Armada in the English Channel.
Long ago, when most boats had sails, the people of Spain called their
navy the Invincible Armada. Invincible means unbeatable, and an armada
is a fleet of warships. When King Philip II of Spain ordered the Armada
to attack England, the people of Spain cheered as the ships sailed out
of the harbor. They thought their ships would win the war for sure. Many
of the Spanish ships were like floating fortresses. Most of the ships of
the English Navy were small, and some of them weren’t even warships.
The sailors on the Spanish and English ships started to fight in the
English Channel. The English sailors would fire a shot, get out of
range, and come back to fire again. After days of battle, the little
English ships beat the Invincible Armada. From that battle on, for many,
many years, England controlled the seas.
