[7] A few days later, a contingent of Spanish-Portuguese troops landed on the island of Faial, where they defeated and captured a garrison of five French and one English company (700 men in total).

[6] After the victory at the Battle of Ponta Delgada, the Marquis of Santa Cruz, secure within his Lisbon base, prepared an amphibious invasion of overwhelming force: 15,372 men and 98 ships, including 31 big merchantmen converted as troop transports, small vessels and landing craft, fighting galleons, 12 galleys, and 2 galleasses.

[6] This time his aim was not to fight a fleet but to land an army: the task force could certainly defend itself if necessary, but its primary role was to put troops, together with their supporting equipment and supplies, on a selected beach-head and then to back them up until the military objectives had been gained.

However, Santa Cruz decided to deliver his main thrust at Mole, a beach 10 miles from Angra defended only by light earthworks occupied by infantry with some artillery support.

[9] De Chaste increased the fortifications of Terceira by building, on its southern and most exposed coast, up to 31 stone forts and 13 fascine outposts, connected altogether by trenches and furnished with a total of 293 cannons.

[10] The quality of the defending troops was diverse: the French and English were veteran soldiers, while the local militia under the command of the governor Manuel da Silva was unreliable for the battle.

[13] At 03:00 the 12 Spanish galleys led by Captain Diego de Medrano[14] headed to the beach with the landing craft in tow carrying 4,500 soldiers aboard, with Bazán commanding the operation in person.

[19] The capture of Santa Catarina allowed the Spanish to land the rest of the infantry, six cannons, and supplies, and easily took control of the surrounding heights.

De Chaste retired with his French troops to the mountain of Nossa Senhora da Guadalupe, allowing Bazán to capture Angra unmolested.

[26] The French meanwhile, began to dug trenches on the slopes of Nossa Senhora da Guadalupe, but the soldiers mutinied and opened negotiations with the Spanish to surrender.

Elizabeth I of England and her advisers viewed with trepidation the rising tide of Spanish victories (the conquest of the Azores Islands in the south and of the Flemish coast in the north) in 1583.