What natural event helped thwart the Spanish Armada's invasion in the English Channel?

• A. A solar eclipse confused navigation
• B. A hurricane struck the fleet in the English Channel
• C. A tsunami hit the coast
• D. A volcanic eruption disrupted ships

Answer: (B)

Weather and big storms can decisively shape naval invasions. In 1588, the Spanish Armada was battered by powerful Atlantic storms as it tried to sail home around the British Isles. Those severe winds and heavy seas scattered ships, damaged vessels, and forced many to retreat or be wrecked on the way back. The English benefited from this disruption, using the chaos to maintain pressure and damage the remaining fleet. The other possibilities—a solar eclipse, a hurricane in the English Channel, a tsunami, or a volcanic eruption—don’t fit the historical events that actually dispersed the Armada. The real factor was the ferocious weather that dispersed and weakened the fleet.