Capture of Great Galleass
Richard Thomson

1588

At the break of day [29 July], my Lord and all the fleet setting sail after our enemies, we espied riding within shot of the town of Calais the greatest of the King's galleasses, the rest of the Spanish fleet being two leagues to leeward of her. My Lord Admiral began to go toward the galleass with his ship, the Ark, but finding the water to be shallow, other ships of less draught bare in with her and shot at her; whereupon she let slip and run the galleass aground hard before the town.

In our ship, which was the Margaret and John of London, we approached so near that we came on ground also; but afterwards came safely off again with the flood, being damaged by nothing but by the town of Calais, who, off the bulwarks, shot very much at us, and shot our ship twice through. And the like powder and shot did Monsieur Gourdan bestow upon our countrymen, and make us relinquish the galleass which otherwise we had brought away to the great credit of our country, if Monsieur Gourdan herein had not showed his affection to the Spaniards to be greater than our nation, or seemed by force to wrest from us that which we had gotten with bloody heads.

My Lord Admiral, seeing he could not approach the galleass with his ship, sent off his long boat unto her with 50 or 60 men, amongst whom were many gentlemen as valiant in courage as gentle in birth, as they well showed. The like did our ship send off her pinnace, with certain musketeers, amongst whom myself went. These two boards came hard under the galleass sides, being aground; where we continued a pretty skirmish with our small shot against theirs, they being ensconced within their ship and very high over us, we in our open pinnaces and far under them, having to shroud and cover us; they being 300 soldiers, besides 450 slaves, and we not, at the instant, 100 persons.

Within one half hour it pleased God, by killing the captain with a musket shot, to give us victory above all hope or expectation; for the soldiers leaped overboard by heaps on the other side, and fled with the shore, swimming and wading. Some escaped with being wet; some, and that very many, were drowned. The captain of her was called Don Hugo de Moncada, son to the viceroy of Valencia. He being slain, and the most part of their soldiers fled, some few soldiers remaining in her, seeing our English boats under her sides and more of ours coming rowing towards her, put up two handerchiefs upon two rapiers, signifying that they desired a truce. Hereupon we entered, with much difficulty, by reason of her height over us, and possessed us of her, each man seeking his benefit of pillage until the flood came that we might haul her off the ground and bring her away....

State Papers Relating to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada. (London: 1894), I:344-345.