Álvaro de Bazán, Marquis of Santa Cruz, never lost a naval battle in his entire career — a record unmatched among commanders of his era. He led the fleet at Lepanto in 1571, drove the Portuguese pretender from the Azores at Terceira in 1582, and spent his final years drafting the operational plans for what would become the Armada campaign. He died in Lisbon in February 1588, four months before that fleet sailed without him.
Álvaro de Bazán, Marquis of Santa Cruz, never lost a naval battle in his entire career — a record unmatched among commanders of his era. He led the fleet at Lepanto in 1571, drove the Portuguese pretender from the Azores at Terceira in 1582, and spent his final years drafting the operational plans for what would become the Armada campaign. He died in Lisbon in February 1588, four months before that fleet sailed without him.