On the 29th July in 1588 (Gregorian/New Style calendar): The Spanish Armada was sighted off the Lizard in Cornwall, and the English fleet under Charles Howard and Francis Drake began to put to sea from Plymouth.... The Spanish fleet (under the Duke of Medina Sidonia) was first sighted by the English off the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. Beacons quickly relayed the warning along the south coast toward London. The main English western squadron was in Plymouth. Lord Charles Howard of Effingham (Lord High Admiral) held overall command, with Sir Francis Drake as vice-admiral (and John Hawkins as rear-admiral). The incoming tide initially trapped many ships in the harbour. As the tide turned, English ships began to work their way out (accounts place the start of departure that day or the following day). Roughly 50–60 English vessels put to sea to gain the weather gage and pursue the Armada, which was sailing eastward in a defensive crescent formation toward a planned rendezvous with the Duke of Parma’s army in the Spanish Netherlands. No major battle occurred on the 29th itself. The first significant engagement came on 31st July (New Style) / 21st July (Old Style) near the Eddystone Rocks off Plymouth. Spanish accounts and later charts (such as the Robert Adams series held by Royal Museums Greenwich) use the New Style dates of 29–31 July for the approach off Cornwall, the English departure, and the first action. The successful harassment of the Armada (combined with storms that devastated the Spanish fleet on its return voyage around Scotland and Ireland) prevented the invasion, boosted English prestige and Protestant confidence, and is widely regarded as a turning point that enhanced England’s naval reputation and contributed to the longer-term rise of English (later British) sea power. England already possessed an effective navy; the campaign demonstrated and enhanced its capabilities. English ships inflicted limited material damage in the Channel actions through long-range gunnery and manoeuvrability; weather and logistical failures caused most Spanish losses.