La Trinidad Valencera was a large Venetian merchant ship of 1100 tons, mainly used for carrying grain. It was originally called Balanzara (sea monster). In 1587 she was taken by the Spanish to help transport troops and war materials to Spain needed for the Armada. She later became part of the Spanish fleet itself.

La Trinidad Valencera was fitted out as a warship with a total of 32 cannons. Her Venetian captain Horatio Donai stayed with his ship. However as part of the Armada it also had a new Spanish commander Don Alonso de Luzon.

On board were:

79 seamen
281 soldiers from Don Alonso de Luzon’s Neapolitan regiment
A large number of gentlemen adventurers

The ship had a huge amount of artillery and equipment on board.
La Trinidad Valencera was not really meant to fight many sea battles. It was fitted out to be part of the armed land invasion of England.

The Crew

Let’s meet the crew. What did they do on board the Trinidad Valencera?

Captain – Horatio Donai
Commander - Don Alonso de Luzon

Senior Officers

Ship’s Master – ensured that all the captain’s commands were followed

Navigator – responsible for keeping the ship on the right course with the use of charts and navigational instruments

Petty Officers

Steward – responsible for handing out daily rations of food, wine and water

Carpenter – in charge of repairs, maintenance

Caulker – responsible for daily inspection and blocking of leaks

Cooper – looked after various barrels, casks and buckets on board

Barber/surgeon – cut hair, trimmed beards, pulled teeth and kept supplies of medicine

Rest of the Crew (made up of hired men and men who were forced to join the ship’s crew)

Sailor – an experienced seaman

Mariner – able seaman who had a detailed knowledge of the ship’s rigging and how to repair it

Apprentice seamen - who did all the heavy work

Cabin boys – who did the dirty work, cleaned and served at the officers’ table

Soldiers

Musketeer

The musketeers of the Spanish Armada were seen as very important. They stood out from the others as they were well dressed and wore broad brimmed feathered hats.

There were only about 1000 of them in the Spanish fleet. They carried huge muskets that were so heavy that they had to be fired from a forked rest. The men also carried two power flasks made with embroidered cloth and silk tassels. A silk tassel was recovered from La Trinidad Valencera.

A leather pouch on the Musketeer’s belt was used to store their lead balls. They also had a narrow bladed sword and a long dagger. They also carried a goats skin bag for their daily ration of wine or water.

Pike man

Their main weapon was called a Pike, a long 18 feet wooden pole made of Spanish ash with a reinforced steel tip. The Pike man wore a steel corset and a morion (helmet). An example of a morion can be seen in the Tower Museum. The pikes were only used on land so they were kept in the hold of the boat until they were needed. When at sea the Pike man fought with an arquebus (type of rifle) or shorter pikes.

Gunner

The Gunner’s job was to ensure that the correct cannon balls were loaded into the cannons ready to be fired. To do this correctly the gunner had to work out the weight of cannon ball to use and then the size of cannon ball to use. A gunner’s rule and shot gauge was used to help work out the size and weight.

The Spanish gunners often worked in groups of six under the direction of a gun captain and two artillery officers whose job was to control and direct the fire.