The Armada eventually had to wait for Parma in an anchorage that offered far less protection than the fleet needed. English fireships forced an urgent response from a formation crowded with transports and storeships. The best galleons could tow clear and hold their positions, while less capable vessels scattered. A formation built for mutual protection became vulnerable to disruption even though the fireships did not have to burn every target.
Notable Point · 28:14-29:20
Fireships turned protection into vulnerability
At an exposed anchorage, English fireships disrupted the Armada because its non-warship elements could not hold position as effectively as the galleons.