The video explores the historic Battle of the Spanish armada against Queen Elizabeth's navy, a pivotal event that reshaped global power dynamics. For centuries, remnants of the armada lay undiscovered on the ocean floor, but today's technology allows us to revisit this lost world. Through archaeological discoveries off the coast of Ireland and in a remote Canadian harbor, the mystery surrounding the armada's fate and its broader implications are revealed.

These discoveries bring to light details of the maritime conflict between Spain and England, marked by iconic shipwrecks and revolutionary naval tactics. From the discovery of the Spanish ship San Juan in Canada, used for whale oil transport, to the arsenal shift and strategic innovation of England's Mary Rose, the video elucidates the evolving nature of naval warfare. Key artifacts like cannons, guns, and personal items inform us about the plans and ambitions of the Spanish to conquer England.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. armada [ɑːrˈmɑːdə] - (n.) - A fleet of warships, typically one that is large and formidable. - Synonyms: (fleet, armada, squadron)

The mighty Spanish armada fights the navy of Queen Elizabeth during a bloody campaign that will echo through history.

2. seafloor [siːflɔːr] - (n.) - The bottom of a sea or an ocean. - Synonyms: (ocean floor, seabed, sea bottom)

Imagine if we could empty the oceans, letting the water drain away to reveal the secrets of the seafloor

3. maritime [ˈmærɪtaɪm] - (adj.) - Connected with the sea, especially in relation to seafaring commercial or military activity. - Synonyms: (sea-related, nautical, marine)

These ships provided the vital sea lines of communication for the first great maritime empire.

4. chalupa [tʃəˈluːpə] - (n.) - A type of small, fast boat used primarily in hunting and whaling. - Synonyms: (whaleboat, small boat, skiff)

Removing the collapsed decks of the ship exposes the fragments of four smaller crafts. One of them, a specialized hunting boat called a chalupa.

5. circumnavigate [ˌsɜːrkəmˈnævɪɡeɪt] - (v.) - To travel all the way around (something, usually the Earth especially by water). - Synonyms: (travel around, voyage, sail around)

It's here they make the first vessels that circumnavigate the globe and secure the Americas for their king.

6. latitude [ˈlætɪtuːd] - (n.) - A geographic coordinate that specifies the north–south position of a point on the Earth's surface. - Synonyms: (parallel, coordinate, position)

A compass and an astrolabe, a device for measuring latitude, instruments that helped sailors to use the stars to navigate.

7. merchant [ˈmɜːrtʃənt] - (n.) - A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially one dealing with foreign countries or supplying goods to a particular trade. - Synonyms: (trader, dealer, seller)

She gives sea captains a license to attack Spanish merchant ships and steal their cargo

8. unyielding [ʌnˈjiːldɪŋ] - (adj.) - Not giving way to pressure or force; stubborn and inflexible. - Synonyms: (unyielding, firm, unrelenting)

Her high castles packed with archers.

9. galleon [ˈɡæliən] - (n.) - A large sailing ship used mainly between the 15th and 17th centuries, especially by the Spanish. - Synonyms: (ship, vessel, frigate)

Among them, a flotilla of the empire's best galleons.

10. fortitude [ˈfɔːrtɪtuːd] - (n.) - Courage in facing difficulties. - Synonyms: (courage, resilience, bravery)

It's a test of English tactics. If they get too close, they risk hand to hand combat with an overwhelming force of Spanish soldiers.

Secrets of the Spanish Armada (Full Episode) - Drain the Oceans - National Geographic

The mighty Spanish armada fights the navy of Queen Elizabeth during a bloody campaign that will echo through history. It's a sea battle that changed the balance of world power for 300 years. For many centuries, evidence of the armada and its shocking fate has been lying undiscovered on the sea floor. Imagine if we could empty the oceans, letting the water drain away to reveal the secrets of the seafloor. Now we can, using accurate data and astonishing technology to bring light once again to a lost world. Can these twisted timbers reveal two kingdoms went to war? These ships provided the vital sea lines of communication for the first great maritime empire. Can evidence from an iconic shipwreck explain a naval revolution? And does a mysterious discovery off the coast of Ireland explain the armada's grisly fate? It is treasure, all of it, because it tells us so much. Fiery beacons spread the warning. The day of reckoning has dawned. The Spanish and English battle for command of the seas for nine to tumultuous days. When the smoke clears, a proud empire is humbled and a new superpower is born. Rivalry between England and Spain began many years before and is shrouded in mystery.

For centuries, archaeologists struggled to find evidence from this time. That changes with a discovery not in Europe, but two and a half thousand miles away in Red Bay, a remote harbor in the far frozen north of Canada that opens onto the wild Atlantic. Led by clues found in 16th century documents, maritime archaeologist Robert Greiner comes here looking for evidence of a Spanish ship. I got in the water, I could see that there was something there. I went down and started to fan with my hands, moving the water. That clears the mud over what was there. I could see some faint lines about quarter inch thick. I could figure out what they were. If these icy waters do conceal a Spanish shipwreck, why would it be here, two and a half thousand miles from home? Robert assembles a team to investigate. They meticulously record the size and shape of every piece of wreckage and realize that they found something extraordinary. We knew we had something of great interest, finding a wreck of that importance as remote as here, as far as here. Using all the data gathered by the dive team, it's now possible to drain Red Bay dry to expose the nearly complete remains of a sailing ship. Her decks have collapsed, but her hull is almost intact.

Robert's first task is to date it. Deep inside the drained wreck, a single clue nestled among the timbers, the delicate fragments of an hourglass. It's an incredibly rare discovery, used from medieval times to measure time on ships. And there's more Treasure, a compass and an astrolabe, a device for measuring latitude, instruments that helped sailors to use the stars to navigate. All commonly found on 16th century European ships. We have quite a complete navigation system. It was the oldest ever found on a shipwreck at the time. The discoveries confirm that the wreck is over 400 years old. And a closer look at the ship's remains uncovers a new and remarkable detail. Removing the collapsed decks reveals that the entire length of the hull is made up of V shaped timbers. But these timbers have not been joined together. They have been carefully grown into the perfect shape. Discovering such an unusual shipbuilding style gives the team a lead and takes them two and a half thousand miles east across the Atlantic Ocean to Spain and the port of Pase. This bustling town in the Basque region of Spain carries on a tradition of shipbuilding that began over 500 years ago. It's here they make the first vessels that circumnavigate the globe and secure the Americas for their king. Today, master builder Xavier Agote is keeping the tradition alive.

He and his team are Building a 16th century Basque galleon using the materials and methods of the time. Our oak forests were specially managed to provide the right timbers with the exact shape for shipbuilding. As a result, they would obtain timbers like this one, with a very nice grain, and that was very necessary to sail across the Atlantic Ocean and to reach North America. The timber still grown and worked in Pasaya are the exact same design and shape as those on the wreck in Red Bay. Historical records held nearby at the ancient University of Onyati complete the story. A 16th century document with details of a ship that sailed to North Canada. Her name was San Juan. She left Pasaya in 1565 and never returned. Finding archaeological evidence of Spain's maritime activities, particularly as it entered the world stage, is rare. When we do find those traces, they can be very revealing. Discovering the name of the ship leads to the most important question of all. Why would she cross the Atlantic to the frozen wastes of North America? More clues lie inside the drained wreck. The hull is covered in small, thin pieces of timber and scattered around metal hoops, the broken remains of barrels. I passed my hand over the little planks and it was a greasy deposit and I was puzzled.

The San Juan seems to be a cargo ship packed with barrels full of grease. Something nearby helps explain what it is. Removing the collapsed decks of the ship exposes the fragments of four smaller crafts. One of them, a specialized hunting boat called a chalupa. Never expected to find a complete chalupa because normally they are very quickly eaten away by the worms. They vanish. So to find a complete chalupa like this was amazing. Chalupas are fast and maneuverable, specially designed to carry men wielding harpoons. Evidence of their prey is scattered across the drained seabed. Whale bones. These chalupas are used to catch whales. Their blubber is then processed into oil, loaded onto barrels, and shipped to Europe. The full astonishing story is now clear in the 16th century. Red Bay is no quiet backwater. She's a global center for whale oil production. Robert Greiner hasn't just found a shipwreck. He's discovered evidence of one of the first industrial sites in North America. It was an important trade, the provision of whale oil, which was very important for lightening the houses. Soap. This was the equivalent of Saudi Arabia at the time. The San Juan carries the whale oil back to Europe. Her crew calls it liquid gold. And with good reason.

Each successful trip nets over $8 million in today's money. And 15 ships just like the San Juan make this trip each year. But this is just one tiny fortune on a continent packed with treasure. After Columbus discovers the Americas in 1492, the Spanish develop a huge network of trade routes, with tobacco plantations in Cuba, sugar from Brazil, and vast quantities of silver and gold looted and mined from Mexico and Peru, made possible by forcing the locals into slavery and shipping over more enslaved men and women from West Africa. Spain was the great superpower of the 16th century. It was kept going by a very large fleet of ships. These ships are the sinews of the Spanish empire. The trade in gold and silver alone is worth $10 trillion in today's money, making Spain one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries in Europe. So rich she gilds her churches in silver and gold, all made possible by ships like the San Juan. Without these ships, Spain would not be rich. And making money was what the Spanish empire was all about. But Spain's fabulous wealth attracts greedy rivals ready to muscle in, including one with plans to break Spain's monopoly on Atlantic trade. England, ruled by Elizabeth I.

She bans Spanish imports, including whale oil, and raises the stakes even higher, risking everything in a showdown with the world's most powerful empire. It's 1588. Queen Elizabeth is making England rich with a new policy. She gives sea captains a license to attack Spanish merchant ships and steal their cargo. Then she takes a healthy cut of the profits. One expedition alone makes her enough money to pay off the entire national debt. It's state piracy. English maritime affairs was dominated by what I sometimes call the pirate mafia. Which began with the Queen. The only way the English could expand their maritime activities was to engage in this kind of armed robbery at sea. The English defend the policy in the name of their Protestant religion. Meaning Philip II of Spain, protector of the Catholic faith in Europe, now has two reasons to settle the score. Money and God. His admirals prepare a massive fleet. La grande I felicississima armada. The great and fortunate armada. Brimming with confidence and carried out with the blessing of the Catholic Church. 130 ships set sail. Among them, a flotilla of the empire's best galleons. On board, 180 priests and 19,000 soldiers armed with over 2,000 guns. For centuries, historians puzzled over King Philip's plans.

Is he simply out to crush England's plan pirates? Or does he have something far more devastating in mind? 800 miles to the north of Spain, at Kinigo Bay, along the wild northern coast of Ireland, can a remarkable discovery cast light on the real story of the armada? When local divers find what looks like ship's timbers, they call in expert marine archaeologist Colin Martin. And he immediately understands their excitement. What I saw as my head went under the water was this enormous bronze gun with the full arms of Philip II of Spain. And it was almost as though I'd been transported back in time 400 years. Colin and the dive team search for more clues beneath the water, carefully logging every detail. Archaeologists have had little chance to study armada wrecks. Could this be one? By using the dive team's data area, it's possible to see clearly what lies beneath Kinnego Bay. For the first time, the wild Atlantic drains away, exposing a mass of wreckage. Ships, timbers spread along the seafloor and lost for hundreds of years. More guns. Among the fines were three magnificent bronze cannons, all slightly different, still lying on the seabed. Very visibly, every cannon is stamped with a unique mark that records its weight. These guns were listed in Spanish documents and and each one of them was identified by its exact weight.

Comparing the weight of the recovered guns with details in the Spanish naval inventory reveals the name of this mystery vessel. La Trinidad Valencia, A large Mediterranean merchant vessel pressed into service by King Philip. She's one of the most important ships in the armada. Armed with 42 guns, carrying 281 soldiers and 79 crew, weighing 1100 tons, one of the biggest ships in the fleet. It's an amazing discovery and it gives historians a unique insight into Philip's plans. At the drained wreck site, something surprising. Next to the bronze cannons lie the wheels of their gun carriages. They are heavy and unwieldy. Clearly not designed for use at sea. The main reason we knew that the guns went to be used in the naval battle was that they were stowed, complete with their carriages. These were not ship guns. They were guns for land campaigning siege artillery. La Trinidad. Valencia hasn't come just to shoot it out in the English Channel. The cannons in her hold point to a much more ambitious plan. And the drained sands of Kinnego Bay offer up another clue half embedded in the sandy seab. This, to me, is the most remarkable and precious thing that was found on the wreck. It's a Chinese porcelain bowl of the Ming dynasty, shipped all the way to Seville and from there into the hands of a Spanish nobleman who would be taking it as part of his household effects to England. A status symbol to grace an elegant home.

Whoever owns it clearly plans to stay in England. Along with the siege cannons, it's clear evidence that the armada has come to invade, conquer and occupy. Only regime change would stop the English engaging in their piratical raids. And that was the aim. After over two years of preparation and eight days at sea, the armada nears the English Channel. 130 Spanish ships, including the mighty Trinidad Valencera. Their objective is to storm the beaches of southern England. But first they must join forces. With 27,000 invasion troops waiting in northern France, the English commanders know that if the all powerful Spanish army gets ashore, King Philip will be halfway to victory. To stop him, they have just 60 fighting ships. A life or death battle for queen and country is about to begin. How will Elizabeth's captains fight back? The answer lies inside one of the most famous shipwrecks of all time. England's land army is no match for the Spanish and her fleet is outnumbered. But her sea captains do have two things in their favor. New weapons and radical new tactics. Just how radical can be seen 140 miles away near Portsmouth. On board one of the most famous shipwrecks ever discovered. The Mary Rose. The favorite warship of Queen Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII. She is lost in battle in 1545.

The cause a mystery for many centuries. When she's found, archaeologists uncover a treasure trove of information about the English navy From more than 40 years before the armada even set sail. Now the dive team's research and the underwater scan data is combined with ongoing archaeological work after she is famously raised from the depths, making it possible to reveal the Mary Rose exactly as she was first discovered. As the sea flows away, it opens a remarkable window into the past. The Merry Rose extraordinarily well preserved and buried within her, clues that reveal how the English are changing the way they fight sea battles. Her exposed port side is worn away to reveal the decks scattered around long thin chests. When the dive team opens them, they make a near miraculous discovery. English longbows, one of the most feared weapons of the medieval age, in perfect condition. So here they are, beautifully preserved. You can see the condition. I mean, they look new. They honestly look new. The only collection of archery equipment we have from the medieval period is here on the Mary Rose. The longbows show that the Mary Rose was equipped for a traditional sea battle. In the medieval period. In northern waters, the classic form of naval warfare was to put castles on basically merchant ships. These became fortresses and you put archers in the, on the castles and it was very much a land battle. At sea, each archer can fire up to 12 armor piercing arrows a minute, clearing the way for soldiers to grapple and board enemy ships.

For over a thousand years, this has been the standard form of naval warfare. And it's exactly how the admirals of the Spanish armada planned to attack the English. Their 1914,000 elite troops stand ready to grapple and board. But the Mary Rose contains key evidence that the English navy is changing and embracing new technology. Specifically these. The Mary rose is carrying 91 cannons, 15 made of bronze. We have these finest cost bronze guns. This has a bore of about 100 millimeters or so, so it would have taken a shot that would have weighed up to 10 pounds. This probably weighs just over a ton. Bronze guns are powerful, but a shortage of the right metal forces King Henry to adapt. And it's these other weapons found on the merry road that are more significant. A range of firearms from cannons to handguns, all made in a new way. Here we have the first attempts to mass produce a gun in cast iron. You can see there's a cast line around it. But what this is saying is Henry was a, trying to come up with cheaper guns in cast iron and b, just attempting to harness the technology. As well as cast iron handguns, the Tudors developed wrought iron cannons. They discovered ways of making iron that was strong enough to stand the stresses of a gun being fired. And this was a huge improvement in that it made powerful guns a good deal cheaper.

Each wrought iron gun is less than a tenth of the cost of a bronze gun, meaning Henry's favorite warship can pack a bigger punch. The Tudor navy calls their new iron guns port pieces. The mary rose has 12 of them, each one mounted on a small, low profile carriage, easy to reload all made to the same standard. They require a change in ship design, with decks specifically strengthened to hold weighty cannons. When the Mary Rose is built in 1511, records show she hasn't got a single port piece on board. But in the drained wreck, there are port pieces scattered across two of her decks. Evidence that Henry was so serious about naval gunnery that he made his shipbuilders increase the firepower and strength of one of his best warships. It's on that brink of change of ships from being troop carriers to gun platforms. It has certainly some of the most sophisticated and modern weapons of its time. The gun changes war at sea. Ships go from being floating castles to being vessels capable of destroying another ship. But embracing new ideas too quickly can be dangerous. When the French attack the English coast in 1545, the Mary Rose sails into battle. She fires one salvo, turns and immediately sinks.

You do get a number of reports that say suddenly a wind came up, she again turned and in turning was, you know, gust of wind healed her over. When a ship heals, its side tips towards the waterline. That's only a problem if seawater can enter the ship. And on board the Merry Rose, there's one very obvious way that can. To put big guns into ships, you had to put them in the hull. And so the gun port was born. The problem with gun ports was how low down in the ship could you put them. If the gun ports are too close to the waterline and the ship heals and sailing ships heal because of their sails, then there's the danger that water can come in through the gun ports and at the drained wreck site, a clue. The gun ports are clearly visible and they are all open, piecing together the evidence. What happens is now clear. The Mary Rose heads into battle against the French. Her high castles packed with archers. She fires her starboard guns. She turns to fire from her port side guns. A gust of wind makes her heal over. Unstable from so many soldiers, guns and ammunition, she heals too far. Water pours into the open gun ports. In minutes she capsizes, taking all but 30 of her 415 crew to their deaths. 43 years later, as the Spanish armada approaches Plymouth, the English fleet is about to show that they have built on the legacy of the Mary Rose.

They ditch hand to hand combat and focus purely on the firepower of their guns. Will it be enough to save England from invasion? Plymouth, off England's south coast. 130 ships of the armada come face to face with England's 100. As the battle begins, the Spanish try To get close, looking to board and capture the English warships. But Elizabeth's captains have other ideas. In their piratical operations, the English develop standoff gunnery warfare, concentrating much more on gunnery, unlocking the enemy to pieces. It's a test of English tactics. If they get too close, they risk hand to hand combat with an overwhelming force of Spanish soldiers. If they stay too far, the guns will do little damage. But they have the perfect ships for the job. Transformed since the Mary Rose, the castles have gone. Instead, they're packed with guns, sleek and maneuverable, the fastest warships in the world. The tactics the English developed as pirates to come in shooting prove effective against the Spanish armada. Ships would charge at each other a bit like cavalry. And then they would fire, turn, fire again, move away, reload and come back, making Elizabeth's navy fast enough to hit and run. They fire over 2,000 shots to Spain's 750, shattering masts and tearing holes through splintered wooden hull, driving the armada along the coast.

Two days later, there's a second battle, 75 miles away at Portland Bill. It's a critical moment and the English take more risks. They come in closer, putting themselves at risk of being boarded. But this time, when they fire, they cause more damage. The Spanish have naval guns, too, plenty of them. And one of the biggest mysteries of the armada is why they're not as effective as the English guns. Nearly 400 miles away in Ireland's Kinnigo Bay, can the drained wreck of La Trinidad Valencera reveal the answer? Spread across the site, guns for a sea battle and lots of ammunition. But how well was it used? Like many of the ships of the armada, La Trinidad Balencera is requisitioned for war by King Philip. Such a disparate fleet carries a huge range of weapons. When we started to find quite large quantities of cannonballs, we were struck by the wide range of calibers, of diameters, of the balls. Unlike their enemy, the Spanish have no standardized guns. It means that in the heat of battle, it can be hard to find the right shot for the right gun. So they rely on a measuring gauge. You check against a ball and if it goes through just nicely as this one does, then you've got the right shot for this particular gun. And at the level of the poor gunners on board the ships, they were frequently finding not this where they were the right size, but this where they weren't.

And the Spanish captains face other problems. He then started to look at the way the Spaniards used their guns, operated their guns. We were helped by the discovery of the carriages that the ships had been using to mount their, their, their guns. For sea warfare, the gun and carriage can span 19ft, over half the width of a ship's deck. The Spaniards seem to have had cumbersome two wheeled carriages with long trails which were quite difficult to bring in to reload. All of this means that the two sides fight very differently. The Spanish tend, it would appear, not to see the gun as a. A powerful weapon for seaborn combat. Although they do have guns at sea, they don't fire them very often. They. The English were firing twice as quickly as the Spaniard. It's like having twice as many guns if you can fire them in half the time. The second battle lasts over two hours. The English inflict the most damage, but the armada remains largely intact and its large galleons are still a powerful threat. It's extremely difficult to sink a wooden ship with cannon fire. You need to batter away at it. Insofar as breaking up the actual fleet, which held together, protecting itself, the English effectively were powerless.

The armada heads to northern France, where 27,000 fresh and well trained Spanish soldiers await, ready to join the fleet and try to land in England. Back in Kinigo Bay, can the wreck of La Trinidad Valenciera explain why that invasion never happened? The armada drops anchorage, but the troops aren't ready to board, so the Spanish are forced to wait close together in the face of a gathering storm. This gives the English an unexpected opportunity and they use it to unleash a terrifying new weapon. Hellburners. Eight of their own ships, packed with explosives, set on fire and aim right at the heart of the armada. The English took their opportunity, Sent in fireships, caused the armada to break formation. Now the English captains can pick their enemies off one ship at a time. At daybreak, they pounce. After the first two clashes, the English know they can fire at 100ft without being boarded. An advantage they now exploit to the fore, disabling four of Spain's best galleons and damaging many more. The battle rages for no. 9 hours. Nearly 2,000 Spanish soldiers and sailors are left dead or injured. Their invasion attempt is over. Damaged by enemy fire, packed with injured and dying men, the surviving ships of the armada run for home.

But only 60 ships will ever make it back. In Ireland, the drained wreck site of La Trinidad Balencera reveals how one of the mightiest ships of the armada ended her days. The surviving timbers are scattered and spread across a rocky reef. It's a clue that helps to explain what happened after the epic battle against The English, well, the Spanish armada, when it failed in its objective, decided to return home by sailing right around the top of the British Isles, thrusting the Spanish into the path of a new and even more formidable enemy. The weather. Summer storms roar up the North Sea, battering the already damaged gallop. To such religious men, it must feel like God himself has turned against Spain. But what happened next to the Trinidad Valencia is even more hellish. She found herself in a sinking condition. A decision was made to run for the shore. La Trinidad Balencera heads for the Irish coast, looking for a safe place to land. She grounded some distance from the shore on a sandy bottom. But with her bow sitting on a reef, almost all the crew scrambles ashore unharmed. They marched off, heading for the west coast through of Ireland, where they hoped they might make contact with other armada ships that would bring them home. Unfortunately for them, they were intercepted by a force of English soldiers. What happens next is savage. The English start to execute their prisoners.

Only a lucky few managed to run to the hills through drowning or execution. Over 6,000 men die along these shores. La Trinidad Valencia is one of just six armada wrecks found off the coast of Ireland. The rest, probably up to 20, have never been discovered. What began as a battle to crush the upstart English has changed the global balance of power. The weakness of the Spanish empire was its actual dependence on wealth. And when other powers began to rise, like the Dutch, like the English, like the French, then these powers had much greater economic depth. Spain loses its sources of wealth and it's got nothing to fall back on. Within 10 years, Spain is bankrupt in Red Bay and beyond. Cargo ships like the San Juan no longer hold the monopoly on new world trade routes. England, with its mastery of naval gunnery and its fast mobile warships, is now the rising force in the aftermath of the armada. These new types of ships and tactics will dominate naval warfare for the next two centuries. Within 20 years, England establishes its first successful colony in the Americas. English will become the dominant language in North America and much of the world beyond. And as England becomes Great Britain, ships controlled in London will dominate global trading routes.

Britain will become the undisputed ruler of the waves until she is finally, finally eclipsed by her own colonies, the United States. A process all triggered by the fight for the riches of the Americas and the defeat of the Spanish armada.

ARCHAEOLOGY, SHIPWRECKS, SPANISH ARMADA, HISTORY, GLOBAL, MOTIVATION, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC