The English close-range attack at Gravelines

Howard's force attacked Medina Sidonia's small rallying core whenever it began to form, aiming to prevent the crescent from rebuilding around it. English ships first induced premature Spanish fire from beyond effective range and then closed within musket range. They maintained the windward position so the heeled Spanish hulls exposed vulnerable planking near or below the waterline. Flooding sinks a ship, while an uncontrollable fire becomes fatal chiefly by destroying structural integrity and letting water in. The anti-reformation tactic was simple rather than ingenious, but Howard, Drake, Hawkins, and their officers executed it quickly within a clear command structure. The action lasted about eight hours until the faster-firing English guns exhausted proper ammunition and crews resorted to chain and scrap metal before withdrawing.