An armada is a large group of warships. a collection of armed ships sent by Spain in 1588 to fight against England, which was defeated by the English navy. a large group of things, especially ships or boats (armata , from the past participle of armare; ARM)
{i} fleet of Spanish warships; fleet of warships, navy; large group of vehicles; type of kick in Capoeira when one kicks the opponent with a spinning kick
Great fleet sent by Philip II of Spain in 1588 to invade England in conjunction with a Spanish army from Flanders. Philip was motivated by a desire to restore the Roman Catholic faith in England and by English piracies against Spanish trade and possessions. The Armada, commanded by the duke of Medina-Sidonia, consisted of about 130 ships. In the weeklong battle, the Spanish suffered defeat after the English launched fire ships into the Spanish fleet, breaking the ships' formation and making them susceptible to the English ships' heavy guns. Many Spanish ships were also lost during the long voyage home, and a total of perhaps 15,000 Spaniards died. The defeat of the Armada, in which Francis Drake played a principal role, saved England and the Netherlands from possible absorption into the Spanish empire