He gained fame when he was instrumental in the rescue of a gold-laden galleon at Madeira Island, as a result of which he was awarded command of the Laredo Fleet.

He was appointed as Admiral of the Fleet which would spearhead a planned invasion of England, an operation under the overall command of the Duke of Medina-Sidonia.

[1] Despite his role, de Recalde had little operational power, and lacking support from the Duke, he underwent a number of battles below fighting strength.

[2] In addition, although he was second-in-command, he would have not gained operational command of the fleet had the Duke died; this would have instead passed to the nobly born Don Alonso Martínez de Leiva.

Towards the end of the operation, he was forced to put into port in Ireland, and then returned to A Coruña, suffering from fever and battle wounds.