Azores Voyage of 1589

Azores Voyage of 1589
Part of the Anglo–Spanish War
Print of Cumberland' successful attack at Faial island in 1589
Date August – September 1589 Location Atlantic, present day Azores Result English victory[1][2][3]
Belligerents
Spain Portugal under Philip of Spain	England
Commanders and leaders
Diego Gomez Gaspar de Lemos Faria	Earl of Cumberland William Monson
Strength
Various Spanish & Portuguese ships, fortifications	6 warships 300 soldiers[4]
Casualties and losses
1 galleon sunk[5] 13 ships captured, burnt, sunk, or wrecked 400 killed, wounded, or captured[6]	40 casualties 100 to disease & thirst

The Azores Voyage of 1589, also known as Cumberland's Third Voyage, was a series of conflicts in the Azores islands between August and September 1589 by an English military joint stock expedition led by George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, during the Anglo–Spanish War.^[5] All the islands were attacked either for provisions or the attainment of Spanish and Portuguese prizes.^[7] A number of Portuguese and Spanish ships were captured and also included a battle at Faial, which resulted in the capture of the fort and the main town, which was subsequently sacked and burned.^[8] The English were able to return home unmolested with a total of thirteen prizes – the expedition was a success and with a good profit for the investors although many people died to disease and storms.^[3][9]

The expedition was also a scientific one in that the eminent mathematician and cartographer Edward Wright carried out navigational studies that, for the first time, explained the mathematical basis of the Mercator projection.^[10]