General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: In SW Florida this week, I saw many, many boats go by proudly flying Trump flags. [View all]Mc Mike
(9,111 posts)"...
The intention would have been to keep to the west of the coast of Scotland and Ireland in the relative safety of the open sea. There being no way of accurately measuring longitude, the Spanish were not aware that the Gulf Stream was carrying them north and east as they tried to move west and they eventually turned south much closer to the coast than they thought. Off Scotland and Ireland, the fleet ran into a series of powerful westerly winds which drove many of the damaged ships further toward the lee shore. Because so many anchors had been abandoned during the escape from the English fire-ships off Calais, many of the ships were incapable of securing shelter as the fleet reached the coast of Ireland and were driven onto the rocks and local inhabitants looted the ships. The late 16th century and especially 1588 was marked by unusually strong North Atlantic storms, perhaps associated with a high accumulation of polar ice off the coast of Greenland, a characteristic phenomenon of the "Little Ice Age".[52] More ships and sailors were lost to cold and stormy weather than in direct combat.
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In England, a medal was struck with the inscription "Flavit Jehovah et Dissipati Sunt", which translates as "Jehovah blew with His winds, and they were scattered".
Armada Medal, bearing the inscription Flavit Jehovah et Dissipati SuntThe wind that scattered the Armada has been called the Protestant Wind,[57] a phrase also used for later navy attacks favorable to the Protestant cause that were helped by the wind. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Armada