Defeating the Spanish Armada

There's section of The Worst-Case Scenario Almanac: History devoted to "HOW TO DEFEAT THE SPANISH ARMADA".  (With a lovely illustration!)

"1.  Assemble a large fleet of smaller ships.  The Spanish armada relies on its hulking galleons-40 warships with thick, heavy hulls and numberous powerful, short-ranged cannons.  Though these ships are formidable, they are slow-moving, with limited reaction time.  Warships with smaller, thinner hulls, built for speed rather than for staying power, can outmaneuver the galleons in battle.  Gain an additional advantage by amassing a fleet that outnumbers the Spanish galleons so you can gang up on larger ships."

"2.  Employ long-range weapons.  The guns on the Spanish ships shot heavy cannonballs, capable of devastating any ship within their range, but they are difficult to load in the heat of a battle, and the cannons are only capable of throwing the shots a short distance.  Equip your ships with long-barreled cannons that shoot smaller cannonballs a greater distance, allowing you to fight from farther away, out of range of the Spanish guns.  These cannons have the added benefit of being faster and easier to load, allowing you to get off more shots more quickly."

"3.  Prevent the Spanish from picking up reinforcements.  Spain has the best-trained, most efficient infantry in Europe.  Their huge galleons, accompanied by dozens of support and supply ships, already carry tens of thousands of soldiers proficient at hand-to-hand combat.  If they are able to connect with more troops from the land, they will break past your fleet and invade your homeland.  Block them from contacting armies in nearby territories under their control."

"4.  Launch fire ships to force the Spanish to break formation.  The armada sails in a defensive crescent formation, making it impossible for your ships to approach any single warship without being destroyed by others nearby.  To break up the formation, surprise the Spanish by discharging several fire ships into their midst.  Fire ships are old vessels covered in combustible material such as tar, sulfur, pitch, and tallow that are lit on fire and blown into the enemy's formation by the wind.  Wooden warships, with their sails and barrels of gunpowder, are highly flammable and can easily catch fire; the Spanish will be forced to break formation to sail away from the potential danger."

"5.  Attack long ships during the confusion.  Once the Spanish have scattered to flee the fire ships, overwhelm individual ships cut off from their allies by attacking each with several of your own swift, small, heavily armed boats.  If necessary, board their ships and employ hand-to-hand combat to overtake the vessel and capture or destroy it."

"6.  Block convenient escape routes.  After a successful battle, prevent any retreating Spanish ships from taking the fastest routes back to Spain by positioning your own fleet in the way.  Force the armada to sail home through unfamiliar territory to cause additional damage to their ships."

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