Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli Don Federico Carlos Gravina y Nápoli , ( August 12 , 1756 - March 9 , 1806 ) , was a Spanish Admiral during the American Revolution and Napoleonic Wars , who died of wounds sustained during the Battle of Trafalgar . He was the son of Don Juan Gravina y Moncada and Doña Leonor Napoli y Monteaporto . His family originated in Sicily , which was then part of the Kingdom of Naples and ruled by a Spanish Bourbon dynasty . With the help of his uncle , the Neapolitan Ambassador to Spain , he entered the Spanish Navy , as a naval cadet aged 12 . He then served as Midshipman on board the frigate " Santa Clara " in Brazil . In the course of this voyage , he carried out his first command when obtaining the surrender of the castle of the Ascensión , located in a small barren island near Santa Catalina . In 1777 he survived a boat accident in the River Plate in which most of the crew drowned . In 1778 , on returning to Spain , he served as a lieutenant aboard a ship suppressing Algerian pirates . He then obtained his first command - the xebec " San Luis " - in which he participated in the Siege of Gibraltar between 1779 and 1782 . After promotion to Commander he participated in the expedition against Minorca ( then under British control ) , distinguishing himself in the attack on the fortress of San Felipe . After this , and for other actions , he was promoted to Captain . In 1785 he commanded a squadron operating against Algerian corsairs . In 1788 he travelled to Constantinople returning the Ambassador Jussuf Efendi . While there he made and published various astronomical observations . After the death of King Charles III , Gravina took the news to the colonies , where his frigate " Paz " recorded one of the fastest - ever times for passages from Cadiz to the Spanish possessions in Central America . In 1790 he was given command of a ship - of - the line , the " Paula " , in which he took part in the evacuation of Oran . The same year saw him demonstrate his administrative talents for the first time . During the Nootka Sound Crisis , Gravina organised the formation of a Spanish fleet , the largest in 200 years . However , the crisis was eventually solved by diplomatic means . In 1793 Gravina , now second in command of the Spanish fleet , served alongside Admiral Hood in the Siege of Toulon . During this period of the alliance with England he also visited Portsmouth to study British methods and tactics . On his return to Spain he was appointed to command a squadron of four ships , with which he served in the Mediterranean taking an active part in the war against Revolutionary France . His flagship was the " Hermenegildo " ( 112 ) . In 1796 Spain signed the treaty of San Ildefonso with France , making peace and later entering the war against Britain . Gravina fought in a squadron under Don Jose de Mazarredo . In 1801 he was sent to San Domingo in the West Indies in command of the Spanish fleet during the Haiti expedition under the French General Charles Leclerc . In 1804 he was appointed Ambassador to France in Paris . He accepted this position on one condition : if war should break out he would immediately return to the military . While in Paris he attended Napoleon ' s coronation as Emperor , and established good relations with Denis Decres , the French Naval Minister . Gravina played a major part in the negotiations of the Franco - Spanish pact which put the Spanish Navy at Napoleon ' s disposal . For his services King Charles IV appointed him Commander - in - Chief of the Spanish Navy , and Gravina returned to Cadiz to hoist his flag in the ship " Argonauta " ( 80 ) in February 1805 . Trafalgar . When Napoleon proposed to invade Great Britain , following the orders of the government of Godoy , Gravina was placed under the command of French Admiral Villeneuve , who took the Franco - Spanish fleet into Caribbean waters to confuse the English fleet . The objective was to allow the crossing of the English Channel by 180 , 000 men that Napoleon had waiting around Boulogne . The deception did not have desired effect . On its return the Franco - Spanish fleet was intercepted by a fleet under Sir Robert Calder at the Battle of Cape Finisterre , losing the Spanish ships " Firme " and " San Rafael " . After this they took refuge in Cadiz by order of Villeneuve , contradicting the original plan of Napoleon . The French soldiers never embarked , and were moved to the interior of Europe , freeing many of them to take part in the Battle of Austerlitz . In Cadiz relations between the supposed allies were poor . Gravina and other Spanish commanders argued strongly with the French , who wanted to sail immediately , whereas the Spaniards recommended waiting for more favourable conditions . Gravina was also concerned about the yellow fever epidemic that had left his ships short of men , as well as the lingering resentment against the French , for their perceived lack of support at the Battle of Cape Finisterre . The fleet finally left Cadiz on 20 October 1805 , leading to the Battle of Trafalgar the next day . During the battle Gravina , in his flagship " Principe de Asturias " , found himself attacked by three British ships at once . The main mast and mizzen were shot through , rigging and sails shot to pieces . At about half past three in the afternoon Gravina ' s left arm was shattered by grapeshot , and seeing a looming defeat , he managed to gather ten ships around his flagship and fell back to Cadiz under tow . Despite this Gravina was promoted to the highest military rank of Capitán - General de la Armada ( Admiral of the Fleet ) , but he never fully recovered from his wounds and finally succumbed on 9 March 1806 , aged 49 . On his death - bed he said , " " I am a dying man , but I die happy ; I am going , I hope and trust , to join Nelson , the greatest hero that the world perhaps has produced . " " In turn the " Gibraltar Chronicle " paid the following tribute , " " Spain loses in Gravina the most distinguished officer in her navy ; one under whose command her fleets , though sometimes beaten , always fought in such a manner as to merit the encomiums of their conquerors . " " As Napoleon wrote in a letter of 11 August 1805 : " " Gravina is all genius and decision in combat . If Villeneuve had had those qualities , the battle of Finisterre would have been a complete victory " " . Gravina is buried at the Panteon de Marinos Ilustres , San Fernando , Cadiz . See also . Battle of Trafalgar