On This Day 209 Years Ago 21st October 1805 The Battle Of Trafalgar Took Place | Forces War Records Send via Email It was the culmination of years of dispute between the French and British Navies. For the past two centuries Britain had been the undisputed ruler of the waves, but from the time Napoleon was made Commander of the French Army in Italy in 1796 he had been spoiling to extend France’s territories at the expense of the British Empire. Several spats had broken out, and although there was a brief lull in 1803, by 1804 Napoleon had managed to tempt Spain to form an alliance; together they set out to take on the British, and the fighting began again. By 1805 Napoleon was aching to make a decisive strike, and called Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, the Commander of his Franco-Spanish fleet, to leave the safe harbour of Cadiz and join him in an attack across the Channel from Boulogne. When Villeneuve emerged into Cape Trafalgar on 19th October 1805, Admiral Nelson was waiting for him.

Traditionally, the plan of attack for naval battles of the time was to pull the ships into a nice straight horizontal line, then travel alongside the enemy line, broadside facing broadside and all guns blazing. However, Nelson was no traditionalist, but a keen pioneer of new ideas and tactics. He decided that the best way to take Villeneuve by surprise would be to charge at his line in two perpendicular columns, carving it into three and taking out the flagship in the first rush, leaving the rest of the line leaderless. It was a bold concept; the bows of the charging ships would not have any guns on them, so although they would be able to make a quick approach they would be defenceless against enemy fire until they were directly on top of the hostile ships, and once through it, finally able to turn broadside and fight back. The plan was made on HMS Victory, one of Nelson’s two flagships, and on Victory he would go into battle and aim to take out French flagship Bucentaure, so that the second column, led by his second-in-command Admiral Cuthbert, could follow and attack the rest of the now leaderless fleet.

The British and Franco-Spanish fleets finally came within sight of each other on 21st October; in theory the latter had the advantage, having 33 ships to Britain’s 27, but this did not allow for Nelson’s superior bravado, leadership and flair. As the British closed with the superior force, he ordered the famous signal to be sent out, “England expects that every man will do his duty.” Nelson certainly did his, leading by example and charging the enemy. Villeneuve was taken aback by the size of the British force facing his fleet, having expected a much greater disparity between the two, and was further unnerved by the gusto of the charge. He ordered his ships to return to Cadiz, then, seeing that they were not going to be able to out-run the British, turned them back to face the enemy; as a result, his line was not as sharp as it might otherwise have been, and formed more of a crescent than anything. The flagships’ flanking ships lagged behind, leaving it unprotected in front. As HMS Victory approached it was desperately fired upon, and was unable to return that fire.

Before it even got to the Franco-Spanish line, 50 of the crew were killed or wounded. At 12.35 Victory finally turned, ran right under Bucentaure’s stern and fired a double-shotted broadside at her. Over 200 were killed or wounded, and although another French ship, Redoubtable, rapidly came to the rescue, the ship was already crippled. By 2.15, Villeneuve was forced to surrender her. Still, HMS Victory was not out of the woods either. Redoubtable, under Captain Lucas, charged upon Victory with a will, firing both her cannons, and once slightly closer throwing grenades and firing at her with muskets. At 1.15, Nelson was hit. A lead ball went through an artery in his lung and lodged in his spine; Nelson fell to the ground, mortally wounded. He was rapidly taken below-deck, while his Flag Captain, Thomas Hardy, took over command of the fleet. The crew of Redoubtable tried to board HMS Victory, but were beaten back. At 1.30, the Captain of Redoubtable also surrendered as other ships came to Victory’s aid.

More and more Franco-Spanish ships surrendered, until the fighting died down at around 4.30, despite the Lead Squadron of the enemy trying to come to the aid of the rest somewhat belatedly. The dying Nelson had been demanding updates on the fighting throughout the afternoon, hoping to capture 20 ships. In the end 19 were actually taken, with not one British ship having been captured. One of Nelson’s last commands was ‘Anchor, Hardy, anchor’, as the weather began to turn. Before the Franco-Spanish fleet surrendered, just short of 4.30, he died, but not before Hardy had kissed him goodbye, and he had had a chance to say, over and over, “Thank God I have done my duty”. In the end 1,700 British sailors were killed or wounded, to the enemy’s 6,000, and 20,000 prisoners were taken. It was a resounding victory. Many of those lives, and Villeneuve’s flagship, were lost in the storm following the battle.

Word soon reached Britain that the Franco-Spanish fleet had been defeated, and our waters and Britain itself were now safe; however, there was a great out-pouring of grief at the news of Nelson’s death that squashed the joy of victory. He would forever be known as a great hero and innovative leader. Britain’s naval superiority was safe for another century Battle of Trafalgar - Oct 21, 1805 - HISTORY.com Battle of Trafalgar Publisher A+E Networks In one of the most decisive naval battles in history, a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the coast of Spain. At sea, Lord Nelson and the Royal Navy consistently thwarted Napoleon Bonaparte, who led France to preeminence on the European mainland. Nelson’s last and greatest victory against the French was the Battle of Trafalgar, which began after Nelson caught sight of a Franco-Spanish force of 33 ships.

Preparing to engage the enemy force on October 21, Nelson divided his 27 ships into two divisions and signaled a famous message from the flagship Victory: “England expects that every man will do his duty.” In five hours of fighting, the British devastated the enemy fleet, destroying 19 enemy ships. No British ships were lost, but 1,500 British seamen were killed or wounded in the heavy fighting. The battle raged at its fiercest around the Victory, and a French sniper shot Nelson in the shoulder and chest. The admiral was taken below and died about 30 minutes before the end of the battle. Nelson’s last words, after being informed that victory was imminent, were “Now I am satisfied. Thank God I have done my duty.” Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar ensured that Napoleon would never invade Britain. Nelson, hailed as the savior of his nation, was given a magnificent funeral in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. A column was erected to his memory in the newly named Trafalgar Square, and numerous streets were renamed in his honor.

Related Videos Color PDF Version Description: A map showing the Battle of Trafalgar which took place on October 21st, 1805, between the British Royal Navy under Horatio Nelson and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish navies under Villeneuve (French) and Gravina (Spanish). The map is color–coded to show the position of the British fleet, and the ships of the French and Spanish fleets, with ship names given. An inset map shows the location of the battle off the Spanish Atlantic coast.

Place Names: Spain, Spain, Cadiz, Tarifa, Algesiras, Gibraltar, Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta, Tangier, Medina Sidonia, Puerto Real, Cape Trafalga ISO Topic Categories: inlandWaters, location, oceans Keywords: Battle of Trafalgar, physical, historical, battle of trafalgar, british fleet, combined french and spanish fleet, division of vice admiral collingwood, physical features, other military, inlandWaters, location, oceans, Unknown, October 21, 1805 Source: Samuel Rawson Gardiner D.C.L., L.L.D., School Atlas of English History (London, England: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1914) 84 Map Credit: Courtesy the private collection of Roy Winkelman Broadside. Battle of Trafalgar More images from Mike Haywood Villeneuve, unable to reach Ferrol, sailed for Cadiz, but bad weather forced him to to run into Vigo. From there Napoleon ordered him to sail for the Straits of Dover.

Decres, the French chief minister of marine, whose confidence in the invasion project had never been high, wrote the orders, stating that Villeneuve was to sail for the Channel, unless the state of the fleet was such as to mitigate against this, in which case he was to sail to Cadiz. On August the 13th the Combined Fleet of 29 battleships sailed westwards, Villeneuves' initial intention was unclear. But after picking up intelligence from passing merchantmen and sighting some British ships in the distance Villeneuve decided to head for Cadiz. He arrived there on August 20th. Nelson arrived off Cadiz to join Collingwoods' fleet on September 28th and ordered his frigates, under Captain Blackwood, to watch Cadiz while he cruised 50 miles offshore with the rest of the fleet, hoping to draw the Combined Fleet out. During the course of the summer Napoleon, despairing of bringing his fleets together, had abandoned his invasion plans for England and had turned his attention to Austria. The British had sent a small army under General Craig to Sicily to threaten Napoleons southern flank and to support the Russians.

To try and guard Italy and his operations in Austria, Napoleon ordered Villeneuve to sail back into the Mediterranean. He had also decided to replace Villeneuve with Admiral Rosily . On September 27th Villeneuve received his orders to sail back into the Med for Naples, to support a landing of 4000 troops there. Troops designed to counter Craigs small force. The Battle When Villeneuve decided to sail from Cadiz his plan was for Magon to sail out with his squadron first and capture or drive off the British frigates. On October 19th and a fair wind for leaving Cadiz blowing Villenueve hoisted the order for ships to sail, There was some confusion amongst the fleets captains over whether this order was just for Magon to sail, the frigates or the whole fleet. As the fleet set sail the breeze died away and only seven battle ships and three frigates made it out of the harbour. The wind was too light to let them chase off the British frigates. Villeneuve was forced to order the rest of the fleet to anchor for the night.

The British frigate Sirius (opens in a new window) made the signal 370, 'Enemy's ships are coming out of port', which was repeated along the chain of ships until it reached the main fleet. Nelson then signaled the fleet for 'general chase south-east', his plan was to steer for the Straits of Gibraltar and prevent the Combined Fleet from sailing into the Mediterranean. On October 20th the rest of the Combined Fleet got under sail and set course for the south-east. Because Nelson had reacted quickly to the signal 370, the British fleet reached the entrance to the Strait before the French and Spanish fleet had left Cadiz. So the British fleet retraced its steps back to the north-west. The Nelson Touch As the British Fleet had waited for the Combined Fleet to sail from Cadiz Nelson had asked his captains to come on board the Victory and had explained his plan of attack. The ships were to form two columns, with Nelson in command of one and Collingwood the other, and sail at the centre and rear of the enemy line of battle so as to bring the British ships into close action and cut off the van of the Combined Fleet, which would then take time to get back into the action.

Nelson wrote a detailed memorandum explaining his plan on the 9th October, although this was not stricly adheared to in the battle. Nelson reported that his captains were pleased with this innovative plan. October 21st Prince Dreadnought Villeneuve sailed slowly in the light winds to the south-east. He had in fact guessed what form Nelsons attack would take, but had failed to specify any defence to his captains. The Combined Fleet sailed in a line with the Neptuno in the rear and the San Juan de Nepomuceno commanded by Commodore Churraca in the van. Admiral Gravina was in the Principe de Asturias and Admiral Villeneuve sailed in the Bucentaure. Gravinas' squadron of observation should have been sailing to windward of the Combined fleet , to come to the aid of any part of the line threatened by the British, but had in fact taken up station at the van. Shortly after dawn the French frigate Hermione spotted the British fleet to windward in the west and signaled to Villeneuve.

Villeneuve could have sailed on for Gibraltar, but instead deciding not to fight off a lee shore, he thought to try and return to Cadiz. So at 8 a.m. he ordered the fleet to wear, an order which was finally completed by 10 a.m. The Combined fleet now had to reform the line of battle, sailing in the opposite direction. The variable quality of the Combined Fleets crews now began to show, the ships found it difficult in the light wind to find their position in the line of battle, and the line sagged way to leeward in the middle. Villeneuve now saw that Gravinas' squadron was out of position and signalled him to keep to windward, but it was too late. The French and Spanish captains could clearly see the British ships advancing on the centre of their line in two columns, and some like Commodore Churruca realised the danger, that the van of the Combined Fleet would be cut off and out of the battle. Churruca thought that Villeneuve should order the leading ships to turn now and bear down on the British.

On board the Victory Nelson ordered Lieutenant Pasco to make a signal to the fleet "Mr Pasco, I wish to say to the Fleet 'England confides that every man will do his duty'". Pasco asked Nelson if he could substitute the word 'expects' for 'confides' as that was in the telegraphic vocabulary whereas confides would have to be spelt, Nelson agreed and the signal was run up Victorys' halyards. Changing the wording subtly changed the meaning, and the signal caused confusion on some ships, with sailors saying they would always do their duty and didn't have to be asked. One final signal was run up on the flagship, the telegraphic flag and then numbers one and six 'Engage the enemy more closely'. List of signals made at Trafalgar . Soon after this the first shots were fired by the Combined fleet at the Royal Sovereign as she came within range of the Fougueux. The Royal Sovereign opened fire at 12 noon, and fifteen minutes later the first of the enemy ships opened fire on the Victory at long range. Close Action As the Victory closed on the enemy line, Captain Hardy decided to take his ship past the rear of the Bucentaure.

The enemy shot had already been cutting into the ship for some minutes and many men were already dead or wounded including Nelson's secretary, John Scott, and eight Marines stationed on the poop deck. Seeing this Nelson ordered the Captain of Marines, Charles Adair, to disperse his men about the ship, a far reaching order in that the Marines would have dealt with French sharpshooters, and perhaps saved Nelsons life. Nelson seems to have been sure he was going to die in this battle, many times saying final farewells to friends and desperately trying to ensure that Lady Hamilton and his daughter Horatia would be looked after when he died. He certainly took no steps to avoid death, Captain Blackwood suggested he moved his flag to the Euryalus to direct the battle from there, but he refused. And several people were concerned that he was wearing his stars of honour on his coat, making him an obvious target. On the fo'c'sle the Bosun William Willmet waited beside the larboard 68 pounder carronade, one of Victory's two 'smashers' as they were known. (Image of Victorys' 68 pounder carronade ).

It had been loaded with a round shot and a keg of 500 musket balls, and as Victory passed within touching distance of Bucentaure's stern, he fired the carronade into her, raking the French ship from ene to end and mowing down the sailors manning their guns. As the Victory continued to sail past, her lower deck guns opened fire as one by one they came to bear. As Victory cleared the French ship she came within range of the Neptune which fired her broadside into the Victory damaging the foremast and bowsprit. Hardy ordered the helm over to bring Victory alongside the Redoubtable which was on her starboard side, and as the guns came to bear she fired her starboard broadside into the French ship. The Victory and the Redoubtable crashed together and their yards locked. Redoubtable shut most of her gunports to prevent boarding and the French marines in the rigging threw grenades and fired down onto the deck of the Victory . At about 1.15 pm as Nelson and Hardy walked on the quarter deck a musket ball fired from Redoubtable struck Nelson in the top of the shoulder and smashed into his spine.

He knew straight away that the wound would be fatal, and as he was carried down to the orlop deck he covered his face with a handkerchief. As they reached the cockpit, wounded sailors waiting for treatment, recognising Nelson, called for the surgeon William Beatty. Fighting continued on the decks above and as Redoubtable was bombarded by Victory 's guns the Temeraire closed on her starboard side and fired into her. The three ships locked together and the Redoubtable was slowly pounded into submission. At the head of the lee column the Royal Sovereign had been engaging the Santa Ana and the Fougueux for some 30 minutes alone, having sailed into the enemy line well ahead of the rest of the division. Collingwood had ordered the lee column to form on the larboard line of bearing, so his ships were not in line like Nelsons but approaching on a broad front ( see main diagram ) . At this end of the Combined Fleets line of battle the ships were closed up in a loose formation, not in a line. As the other ships of Collingwoods line joined the battle they were presented with a confused array of ships.

The battle continued in the dying wind and, as their masts and sails were shot away, the ships of both fleets drifted slowly about each other, looking for targets through the clouds of smoke. The Mars lost most of her sails and rigging and swung uncontrollably in the swell. Captain Duff, leaning over the side to try and spot the enemy ships was decapitated by a round shot, and the Mars was raked by several French ships including the Pluton. Two hours after the start of the battle, the Combined fleets van under Admiral Dumanoir finally wore or tacked and made back for the battle. Four ships, including Dumanoirs Formidable sailed to windward of the British and exchanged shots with them as they passed, then sailed away from the battle. Three ships sailed straight for Cadiz and only the Intrepide and the Neptuno sailed to Villeneuves aid. The Intrepide was engaged by several British ships, and was singled out for her bravery in the face of overwhelming odds by several of the British captains. Slowly the British ships gained the upper hand as one by one the ships of the Combined Fleet struck their colours or sailed away from the battle.

Captain Hardy reported to Nelson that the battle was won, 'Thank God I have done my duty', were his last words, and he died at 4.30pm. Aftermath The gloss of the victory was taken off for the British ships with the news of Nelsons death. It is hard now to appreciate the effect of this news on the ships crews and on the nation as a whole, although Nelson is still regarded as a national hero in Britain, in 1805 he was THE national hero, and to lose him at the moment of his greatest victory was a bitter blow. Nelson himself would have been bitter had he known the treatment his beloved Lady Hamilton and his daughter would get from a grateful nation. They were almost completely ignored. Instead the country decided to make Nelson's brother, William, an earl, and voted him �99,000 with an annual pension of �5,000 a year. Frances, still formally Nelson's wife, was granted �2,000 a year. Emma and Horatia got nothing.

Without the pension from a grateful nation that Nelson had foreseen for her, and always famous for her extravagance, Emma eventually sank into poverty, even spending some time in prison for debt. After her release she went to live with Horatia in Calais and died there in January 1815. Of the Combined Fleet, Bucentaure, Algeciras, Swiftsure, Intrepide, Aigle, Berwick, Achille, Redoubtable, Fougueux ( French), Santissima Trinidad, Santa Anna, Argonauta, Bahama, San Augustino, San Ildefonso, San Juan de Nepomuceno, and Monarca ( Spanish) were taken by the British. Redoubtable sank, Achille blew up, San Augustino and Intrepide burned, the British scuttled Santissima Trinidad and Argonauta, and in the gale that followed the battle Monarca, Fougueux, Aigle, and Berwick were wrecked.

On the 23rd of October a sortie by French Commodore Julien Cosmao from Cadiz with Pluton, Indomptable, Neptuno, Rayo, and San Francisco de Asis attempted to recapture some of the British prizes. Santa Anna and Algeciras were recovered, but Neptuno, Indomptable, and San Francisco de Asis were wrecked and Rayo was taken by the Donegal and then wrecked. On the 3rd of November, Admiral Strachan, with Caesar 80, Hero 74, Courageux 74, Namur 74, and four frigates defeated and captured the force of four French ships which had escaped at Trafalgar under Dumanoir: Formidable 80, Duguay-Trouin 74, Mont Blanc 74, and Scipion 74. All four are taken into the Royal Navy, with Formidable renamed Brave, Duguay-Trouin renamed Implacable, and the other two keeping their names. The Victory was towed into Gibraltar her masts and sails shot to pieces. The casualties were high, as might be expected in such a close fought action.

The British lost 449 men killed and 1241 wounded (some of whom subsequently died), the French and Spanish fleets lost 4408 men killed and 2545 wounded, ( figures are from Lewis 'A Social History of the Navy'). The ultimate outcome of the victory was to secure the supremacy of the British navy on the high seas for the next hundred years, and the end to any threat of invasion from France. It lead Napoleon to his Continental strategy, and possibly to his disastrous campaign against the Russians in 1812. Battle of Trafalgar Casualty List Ship Battle of Trafalgar – History Wars Weapons About Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place off the west coast of southern Spain, near Cape Trafalgar, on October 21, 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars. It was contended between the British Royal Navy, commanded by Horatio Nelson, and the French-Spanish fleet, under Pierre Charles Villeneuve. Although the British commander died during the ferocious fighting, the Battle of Trafalgar was a decisive British victory, establishing British naval supremacy for many years.

The British fleet was composed of 27 warships of the line, and the French-Spanish fleet of 33 ships. As in most of the naval battles of the 18th and 19th century, Trafalgar was a close fleet action, with ships maneuvering up to the enemy and shooting broadsides at a range of a few yards. To take full advantage of the close range, guns were double shotted with grape shot on top of ball. Antecedents Great Britain had imposed a naval blockade on France, preventing the French from fully mobilizing their ships. Thus, the British were capable of attacking and laying siege to French ports. After the Treaty of Amiens (1802), the Third Coalition of European nations declared war on France in 1803. As a result, Napoleon got determined to invade Britain, but he needed to ensure that the Royal Navy would be unable to disrupt the invasion flotilla, which would require the destruction of the English fleet, clearing the English Channel of Royal Navy ships. In order to achieve this, Napoleon organized a combined fleet composed of French and Spanish ships, under the command of Villeneuve, in 1805.

But the French and Spanish ships in the Mediterranean and Cadiz first had to break through the blockade and join forces in the Caribbean. Then, they would return to assist the main French fleet at Brest, in Brittany, and break through the blockade, and together clear the English Channel of British Royal Navy ships, thus ensuring a safe passage for the invasion transport ships. Villeneuve passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, met with the Spanish fleet, and sailed as planned to the Caribbean. Once Nelson realized that the French had crossed the Atlantic Ocean, he put out to sea. As Villeneuve sailed northward toward Brest, he changed his mind and headed southward instead toward Cadiz on the southwestern coast of Spain, worried that the British were observing his maneuvers. By October 1805, Villeneuve was still in harbor in Cadiz. When Napoleon found out he was not at sea, he rebuked Villeneuve severely, accusing him of cowardice. Then, Villeneuve steeled himself to leave harbor and sail for the Channel, but when he was off the coast of Trafalgar, his French-Spanish fleet was engaged by Nelson’s.

BBC - History - British History in depth: The Battle of Trafalgar Print this page Global power The Battle of Trafalgar was to witness both the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte's plans to invade Britain, and the death of Admiral Lord Nelson. It was never going to be any ordinary battle, and quickly acquired a heightened, almost magical, reality. ...the Royal Navy annihilated the greatest threat to British security for 200 years ... During the engagement at Trafalgar, on 21 October 1805, the Royal Navy annihilated the greatest threat to British security for 200 years, but lost Britain's national hero in the process. Little wonder the battle transcended the mundane calculation of ships and men, victory and defeat. It guaranteed Britain's control of the oceans, the basis of her global power for over a century. By 1805 Nelson was already a national hero, and considered the ultimate naval commander. His elevated conception of war ensured that every battle he fought was used to solve major strategic problems, and his many successes ensured he was the only contemporary to rival Bonaparte as ultimate exemplar of total war.

Nor did Bonaparte disagree - he kept a bust of Nelson in his private quarters. Nelson developed the art of war at sea to the new, terrible form he characterised as 'annihilation' to counter the war effort of Napoleonic France. He did so by taking the command system of Admiral Sir John Jervis, the tough old officer who taught him how to keep a fleet efficient, and melding it with the genius for battle and strategy he developed while serving under Admiral Lord Hood. Nelson used this combination of strategic flair and practical management to help Britain survive the 22 year struggle with Revolutionary and Napoleonic France. He understood that invasion by France was the least of Britain's worries - the real threat was the destruction of her global commercial system. Top Defensive strategy HMS 'Victory' - in dry dock in Portsmouth © In 1803 the Peace of Amiens - a temporary armed truce between Britain and France - broke down, and for nearly two years British strategy rested on the defensive, waiting for the French navy to make the first move. Late in 1804, however, Spain joined the war as an ally of France, giving Napoleon the ships he needed to challenge Britain.

This was the context of Trafalgar. Napoleon was looking for an opportunity to strike at Britain, without having to fight Nelson and the Royal Navy - while all his attempts to attack British interests were thwarted by expert seamen who countered his every move. Villeneuve's fleet ... was ideally positioned to attack British trading ships or Britain itself. Thus, when Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, Commander of Napoleon's Franco-Spanish fleet bottled up in a safe haven at Toulon, broke out into the Atlantic in early 1805, Nelson chased him all the way to the West Indies in the most daring of all his campaigns. By September 1805, however, Villeneuve's fleet had found shelter at Cadiz, and was ideally positioned to attack British trading ships or Britain itself. It had to be destroyed. Top Battle plan Nelson explains his plan for the forthcoming Battle of Trafalgar © Nelson joined the British fleet off Cadiz in late September. His very presence electrified the men under his command, while his new battle plan, explained at his table on HMS Victory, was key to decisive combat.

If the enemy put to sea Nelson wanted to be able to annihilate them completely, ending the need for Britain to stand on the defensive. Nelson's arrival unsettled Admiral Villeneuve, who was already being bullied by Napoleon, who wanted his fleet to support an attack on Naples. Thus under pressure Villeneuve, believing Nelson's fleet to be weaker than his own, put to sea on 19 October. In fact his 33 ships of the line faced 27 British vessels. Nelson anticipated his enemy's every move. At dawn on the 21st the fleets were in visual contact. Nelson's fleet was formed into two columns, for a risky head-on approach that exposed the unarmed bows of his leading ships to the full weight of enemy broadsides. He knew a storm was coming, and he had to engage the enemy quickly. Nelson knew his skilled captains could wipe out the rest of the opposing fleet ... He was to lead the first column into the attack and destroy the enemy flagship, leaving his opponents, leaderless and confused, to be destroyed by the second column, led by Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood.

With the enemy admiral disabled, Nelson knew his skilled captains could wipe out the rest of the opposing fleet in the remaining hours of daylight. Top 'England Expects ...' British ship crosses battle line of Franco-Spanish fleet © As his vessels approached their enemy, Nelson walked around his flagship, talking with the crew - having sent the immortal signal 'England expects that every man will do his duty' to the fleet. All his men cheered this example of courage and confidence that they had but to follow. The enemy had reversed course during the morning, heading back to Cadiz, leaving their line confused. Now the fleets were off Cape Trafalgar, and the British sailors had time to eat a good meal in preparation for the engagement - although their opponents may not have had such healthy appetites. Nelson waited for Villeneuve to show his flag, so he would know where to strike. As Victory bore down on the enemy line she had to endure heavy fire from the allied line, without being able to reply. Round shot came smashing through the flimsy bow of the ship, killing and wounding the men on the upper deck.

John Scott, Nelson's Public Secretary, was standing on the quarter deck talking with Captain Thomas Hardy, when a shot cut him in two. This is too warm work to last for long. Then the steering wheel was smashed, and a double-headed shot scythed down a file of eight marines on the poop. Still Nelson and Hardy paced up and down on their chosen ground, the starboard side of the quarterdeck, with splinters flying around them. When a splinter hit Hardy's shoe, tearing off the buckle, Nelson observed: 'This is too warm work to last for long'. Fifty men had been killed or wounded, and the crew of the Victory had yet to open fire. Top The battle Battle of Trafalgar © At 12.35pm the concave enemy line allowed the Victory to open fire at last, shrouding the ship in smoke. Soon afterwards the Victory ran right under the stern of the French flagship, the Bucentaure, and fired a double shotted broadside that made the enemy ship shudder, and killed or wounded over 200 men. Admiral Villeneuve was the only man left standing on the quarter deck.

The Redoutable then blocked Victory's way through the enemy line, and Nelson was immobilised on a ship fighting three opponents in the middle of the combined fleet - but he had administered the decisive stroke. Villeneuve was trapped on a crippled ship, and the Franco-Spanish centre was reduced to chaos, lacking the leadership to meet the irresistible British. Nelson, his work done, continued to walk with Hardy, while the captain of the Redoutable tried to clear Victory's upper deck with musket fire and hand grenades. Then, at about 1.15pm, Nelson was hit by a 0.69in-diameter lead ball, which cut an artery in his lung and lodged in his spine. He was knocked to the deck, and it was clear the wound was mortal. Hardy had his chief carried below, where Surgeon William Beatty was hard at work on the mounting list of casualties. Meantime the battle raged, with the faster and more effective British gunnery steadily wearing down the enemy. Over the next three hours the Franco-Spanish force would collapse.

Nelson's attack had broken all the rules of tactics, treating a fleet waiting for a fight like one running away, substituting speed for mass, precision for weight, and accepting impossible odds. ... the battle was won while the enemy had far more ships in the fight than the British. At the start of the battle, when the first British ships arrived, they were initially fighting a far greater number of enemy ships. They won the day because of their speed and flexibility, and by the time they were weakening, a later wave of vessels was in place to administer the coup de grace. In fact the battle was won while the enemy had far more ships in the fight than the British. The real triumph was not of 27 ships against 33, but of 12 against 22. British casualties tell the story - 12 ships fought the early and decisive phase of the battle, suffering some 1200 deaths and injuries. Top Nelson's death Nelson is taken below after being wounded © As Nelson lay wounded, the battle with the Redoutable reached a crescendo.

The French repeatedly tried to board the Victory, only to be driven back by heavy fire, and at 1.30pm the captain of the Redoutable surrendered. At 2.15pm Villeneuve surrendered. The genius of his opponent, the power of the Royal Navy and the failure of his lead squadron to come to his aid had doomed his brave effort. He lived to return to France, only to be murdered by Napoleon. By 2.30pm Hardy was able to go below, to report to Nelson that 12 or 14 of the enemy were taken, and no British ship had surrendered. That last answer betrayed Nelson's anxiety about the outcome of the battle. Hardy, however, could not linger, the lead enemy squadron was belatedly trying to join the battle, only to be bettered by Edward Codrington's brilliantly handled Orion, the Minotaur and the Spartiate. Hardy went back on deck and signalled the ships nearby to support the flagship. Hardy visited Nelson again at 3.30pm to confirm a glorious victory, but could not satisfy Nelson's determination to have 20 prizes.

'Anchor, Hardy, Anchor!' the dying man demanded, as the rising sea reminded him of his weather forecast. Thank God I have done my duty. Hardy knelt and kissed him, as Nelson struggled to breathe and kept repeating his motto: 'Thank God I have done my duty.' Unable to endure his grief at his leader's plight, Hardy went back to the upper deck, burying his feelings in the fighting. Nelson died shortly before 4.30pm, as the battle died down. Nineteen enemy ships had been taken. Top Cost of victory End of the battle - with fleeing enemy ships in the distance © The cost of victory was high. Some 1,700 British were killed or wounded, with 6,000 enemy casualties and nearly 20,000 prisoners. Many of those lives, as well as Villeneuve's flagship, were lost in the storm that followed the battle.

The following day, Nelson's oldest friend, Admiral Collingwood, opened his wonderful Order of Thanks for the men of the fleet with the following lines: 'The ever to be lamented death of Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson, Duke of Bronte, the Commander in Chief, who fell in the action of the 21st, in the arms of Victory, covered with glory, whose memory will be ever dear to the British Navy and the British Nation; whose zeal for the honour of his King, and for the interests of his Country, will ever be held up as a shining example for a British seaman.' This powerful document only heightened the emotional impact of the news across the nation - for Britons the triumph over Napoleon was cancelled out by the loss of Nelson. The loss, however, provided a national hero to help enhance the newly formed British identity. Trafalgar, as the battle was named by George III, had crushed the naval power of a deadly enemy, and - although they had fought like heroes - the Spanish and French had been annihilated. Trafalgar was the coda to Nelson's achievement. He had destroyed Napoleon's maritime strategy and invasion plans when he pursued Villeneuve to the West Indies and back.

This had set the limit to Napoleon's empire, and plotted the course of his downfall. Other British admirals could have won at Trafalgar, but only Nelson could have settled the command of the sea for a century. Trafalgar was the product of one man's obsessive genius and unequalled commitment to his country. Books Nelson: Britannia's God of War by Andrew Lambert (Faber and Faber, 2004) Logs of the Great Sea Fights, Vol. II edited by Admiral Sir T Sturges-Jackson (Navy Records Society, 1902, reprinted 2005). Collection of ships' log books dealing with the day of the Battle of Trafalgar, also the battles of the Nile and Copenhagen. The Campaign of Trafalgar by JS Corbett (Longman, 1910). The definitive study, written by a master of strategic and tactical history. Used to teach naval officers before 1914. The Campaign of Trafalgar by E Desbrière, translated by C Eastwick (Oxford). The French staff history, written before World War One.

Trafalgar and the Spanish Navy by J Harbron (Conway Maritime, London, 2004). The only book-length study of the Spanish perspective, although much of the text is concerned with the century leading up to the battle. The Letters and Dispatches of Admiral Lord Nelson, 1844-46 (vols 6,7) edited by NH Nicolas (reprinted Chatham Publishing, 1998) Nelson: New Letters edited by Colin White (Boydell, Woodbridge, 2005) Top About the author Andrew Lambert is Laughton professor of naval history at King's College, London. His three-part television series 'War at Sea' was broadcast on the BBC in 2004. Back to Map Page Description: Map showing the Battle of Trafalgar which took place on October 21st, 1805.

Source: Samuel Rawson Gardiner D.C.L., L.L.D., School Atlas of English History (London, England: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1914) 84 Map Credit: The Private Collection of Roy Winkelman The Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar Nelson's crushing defeat of the French and Spanish Navies, establishing Britain as the dominant world naval power for a century. The French ship Redoubtable during her magnificent resistance at the Battle of Trafalgar. It was a musket shot from Redoubtable that mortally wounded Nelson. Place: At Cape Trafalgar off the South Western coast of Spain, south of Cadiz. Combatants: The British Royal Navy against the Fleets of France and Spain. Admirals: Admiral Viscount Lord Nelson and Vice Admiral Collingwood against Admiral Villeneuve of France and Admirals d’Aliva and Cisternas of Spain.

The Beginning of the Battle of Trafalgar Size of the fleet: 32 British (25 ships of the line, 4 Frigates and smaller craft), 23 French and 15 Spanish (33 ships of the line, 7 Frigates and smaller craft). 4,000 troops including riflemen from the Tyrol were posted in small detachments through the French and Spanish Fleets. His Majesty's Ship Victory Winner: Memorably, the Royal Navy. British Ships: Nelson's Division: HMS Victory (Flagship), Temeraire, Neptune, Conqueror, Leviathan, Ajax, Orion, Agamemnon, Minotaur, Spartiate, Euryalus, Britannia, Africa, Naiad, Phoebe, Entreprenante, Sirius and Pickle. Collingwood's Division: HMS Royal Sovereign (Flagship), Belleisle, Mars, Tonnant, Bellerophon, Colossus, Achilles, Polyphemus, Revenge, Swiftsure, Defiance, Thunderer, Prince of Wales, Dreadnought and Defence.

His Majesty's Ship Britannia French Ships: Bucentaure (Flagship), Formidable (Flagship), Scipion, Intrepide, Cornelie, Duguay Truin, Mont Blanc, Heros, Furet, Hortense, Neptune, Redoubtable, Indomitable, Fougueux, Pluton, Aigle, Swiftsure, Argonaute, Berwick, Hermione, Themis, Achille and Argus. Spanish Ships: Santa Anna (Flagship), Santissima Trinidad (Flagship), Neptuno, Rayo, Santo Augustino, S. Francisco d’Assisi, S. Leandro, S. Juste, Monarca, Algeciras, Bahama, Montanes, S. Juan Nepomucano, Argonauta and Prince de Asturias. The Battle of Trafalgar Ships and Armaments: Sailing warships of the 18th and 19th Century carried their main armaments in broadside batteries along the sides. Ships were classified according to the number of guns carried or the number of decks carrying batteries.

Nelson’s main force comprised 8 three decker battleships carrying more than 90 guns each. The enormous Spanish ship Santissima Trinidad carried 120 guns and the Santa Anna 112 guns. The size of gun on the line of battle ships was up to 24 pounder, firing heavy iron balls or chain and link shot designed to wreck rigging. Trafalgar was a close fleet action. Ships manoeuvred up to the enemy and delivered broadsides at a range of a few yards. To take full advantage of the close range guns were “double shotted” with grape shot on top of ball. It is said that the crews in some French ships were unable to face this appalling ordeal, closing their gun ports and attempting to escape the fire. For more details on this picture or how to buy it, click here or on the image. Ships manoeuvred to deliver broadsides in the most destructive manner, the greatest effect being achieved by firing into an enemy’s stern, so that the shot travelled the length of the ship wreaking havoc and destruction. The first broadside, loaded before action began, was always the most effective.

Admiral Lord Nelson struck down on the deck of HMS Victory at Trafalgar Collingwood’s Royal Sovereign fired its first broadside at Trafalgar into the rear of the Spanish ship Santa Anna causing massive damage. Ships carried a variety of smaller weapons on the top deck and in the rigging, from swivel guns firing grape shot or canister (bags of musket balls) to hand held muskets and pistols. With these weapons each crew sought to annihilate the enemy officers and sailors on deck. Click here or on image to buy a print Wounds in Eighteenth Century naval fighting were often terrible. Cannon balls ripped off limbs or, striking wooden decks and bulwarks, drove splinter fragments across the ship causing great injury. Falling masts and rigging inflicted crush injuries. Sailors stationed aloft fell into the sea from collapsing masts and rigging and were drowned. Heavy losses were caused when a ship finally succumbed and sank or blew up. The discharge of guns at close range easily set fire to an opposing vessel. Fires were difficult to control in battle and several ships were destroyed in this way, notably the French ship Achille.

Admiral Lord Nelson Click here or on image to buy a print The ultimate aim in battle was to lock ships together and capture the enemy by boarding. Savage hand to hand fighting took place at Trafalgar on several ships. The crew of the French Redoubtable, living up to the name of their ship, boarded Victory but were annihilated in the brutal struggle on Victory’s top deck. Ships’ crews of all nations were a tough bunch. The British with continual blockade service against the French and Spanish were particularly well drilled. British gun crews could fire three broadsides or more to every two fired by the French and Spanish. The British officers were hard bitten and experienced. A young officer joining the Royal Navy in 1789, when the French Wars began, would have served for 16 years of warfare by the time of Trafalgar. British captains were responsible for recruiting their ship’s crew. Men were taken wherever they could be found, largely by means of the press gang. All nationalities served on British ships including French and Spanish. Loyalty for a crew lay primarily with their ship. Once the heat of battle subsided there was little animosity against the enemy.

Great efforts were made by British crews to rescue the sailors of foundering French and Spanish ships at the end of the battle. Life on a warship, particularly the large ships of the line, was crowded and hard. Discipline was enforced with extreme violence, small infractions punished with public lashings. The food, far from good, deteriorated as ships spent time at sea. Drinking water was in constant short supply and usually brackish. Shortage of citrus fruit and fresh vegetables meant that scurvy easily and quickly set in. The great weight of guns and equipment and the necessity to climb rigging in adverse weather conditions frequently caused serious injury. Nelson as a Post Captain in 1781 Above all a life primarily carrying out blockade duty was monotonous in the extreme. The prospect of a decisive battle against the French and Spanish put the British Fleet in a state of high excitement. Account: In July 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte secretly left Milan and hurried to Boulogne, where his Grande Armée waited in camp to cross the Channel and invade England. Napoleon only needed Admiral Villeneuve to bring the French and Spanish Fleets from South Western Spain into the Channel to enable the invasion to take place.

The First Sea Lord appointed Admiral Lord Nelson Commander in Chief of the British Fleet assembling to attack the French and Spanish ships. Nelson selected His Majesty’s Ship Victory as his flagship and sailed south towards Gibraltar. As the British ships intended for the Fleet were made ready they sailed south to join Nelson. In October 1805 Villeneuve was still in harbour in Cadiz. He received a stinging rebuke from Napoleon accusing him of cowardice and Villeneuve steeled himself to leave harbour and make for the Channel. He was encouraged in his resolve by the belief that there was no strong British Fleet nearby and that Nelson was still in England. Other than picket frigates watching the harbour Nelson kept his main fleet well out to sea. The gun deck on H.M.S. Victory On 19th October 1805 at 9am HMS Mars relayed the signal received from the frigates that the Franco-Spanish Fleet was leaving Cadiz in line of battle. At dawn on 21st October 1805, with a light wind from the West, Nelson signalled his fleet to begin the attack. The British captains understood fully what was required of them.

Nelson had explained his tactics over the previous weeks until every ship knew her role. At 6.40am the British Fleet beat to quarters and the ships cleared for action: cooking fires thrown overboard, the movable bulkwarks removed, the decks sanded and ammunition carried to each gun. The gun crews took their positions. The French and Spanish Fleets were sailing in line ahead in an arc like formation. The British Fleet attacked in two squadrons in line ahead; the Windward Squadron led by Nelson and the Leeward (southern or right squadron) headed by Collingwood in Royal Sovereign; the ships of the Fleet divided between the two squadrons. Nelson aimed to cut the Franco-Spanish Fleet at a point one third along the line with Collingwood attacking the rear section. In the light wind the van of the Franco-Spanish Fleet would be unable to turn back and take part in the battle until too late to help their comrades. Click here or on image to buy a Restrike Etching In his long and eventful naval career Nelson had lost an arm and an eye. Perhaps, like Wolfe at Quebec, he preferred to die at the moment of supreme victory rather than live on in a disabled state.

The two British squadrons, led by the Flagships, sailed towards the Franco-Spanish line, Collingwood’s Royal Sovereign significantly ahead of Victory. Anxious that the admiral should not be excessively exposed to enemy fire, the captain of Temeraire attempted to overtake Victory, but was ordered back into line by Nelson. The Battle of Trafalgar The first broadside was fired by the French ship Fougueux into Royal Sovereign as Collingwood burst through the Franco-Spanish line. Royal Sovereign held her fire until she sailed past the stern of the Spanish Flagship, Santa Anna. Royal Sovereign raked Santa Anna with double shotted fire, a broadside that is said to have disabled 400 of her crew and 14 guns. Royal Sovereign swung round onto Santa Anna’s beam and the two ships exchanged broadsides. The ships following in the Franco-Spanish line joined in attacking Collingwood: Fougueux, San Leandro, San Justo and Indomptable, until driven off by the rest of the Leeward Squadron as they came up. Royal Sovereign forced Santa Anna to surrender when both ships were little more than wrecks.

Click here or on image to buy a print Victory led the Windward Squadron towards a point in the line between Redoubtable and Bucentaure. The Franco-Spanish Fleet at this point was too crowded for there to be a way through and the Victory simply rammed the Redoubtable, firing one broadside into her and others into the French Flagship Bucentaure and the Spanish Flagship Santissima Trinidad. The British ship Temeraire flanked Redoubtable on the far side and a further French ship linked to Temeraire, all firing broadsides at point blank range. Trafalgar The following ships of Nelson’s squadron, as they came up, engaged the other ships in the centre of the line. The leading Franco-Spanish squadron continued on its course away from the battle until peremptorily ordered to return by Villeneuve. During the fight with Redoubtable the soldiers and sailors in the French rigging fired at men exposed on the Victory’s decks. A musket shot hit Nelson, knocking him to the deck and breaking his back. The admiral was carried below to the midshipmen’s berth, where he constantly asked after the progress of the battle.

Eventually Hardy was able to tell him before he died that the Fleet had taken 15 of the enemy’s ships. Nelson knew he had won. British Royal Navy : Sailors and officers laying a gun before firing into the enemy The battle reached its climax in the hour after Nelson’s injury. Neptune, Leviathan and Conqueror, as they came up, battered Villeneuve’s Flagship Bucentaure into submission and took the surrender of the French admiral. Temeraire while fighting the Redoubtable fired a crippling broadside into the Fougueux. Leviathan engaged the San Augustino bringing down her masts and boarding her. His Majesty's Ship Neptune in action at the Battle of Trafalgar In the Leeward Squadron Belleisle was stricken into a wreck by Achille and the French Neptune until relieved by the British Swiftsure. Achille was then battered by broadsides until fires reached her magazine and she blew up. Click here or on the image to buy a print All the French and Spanish ships of that part of the line were destroyed, captured or fled: of the 19 ships, 11 were captured or burnt while 8 fled to leeward. Many of these ships fought hard.

Argonauta and Bahama lost 400 of their crews each. San Juan Nepomuceno lost 350. When she blew up Achille had lost all of her officers other than a single midshipman. The resistance of the French ship Redoutable was was quite in keeping with her name. The Franco-Spanish van commanded by Admiral Dumanoir passed the battle, firing broadsides indiscriminately into comrade and enemy, and returned to Cadiz. Click here or on image to buy a Print Follow-up: Following the battle a storm blew up wrecking many of the ships damaged in the action. Of those captured only 4 survived to be brought into Gibraltar. The consequences of the battle were far reaching. Napoleon’s plan to invade Britain was thwarted. He broke up the camp at Boulogne and marched to Austria where he won the great victory of Austerlitz against the Austrians and Russians. Trafalgar ensured that Britain’s dominance at sea remained unchallenged for the rest of the 10 years of war against France and continued worldwide for a further 120 years.

Nelson dying in the cockpit of HMS Victory Admiral Villeneuve was taken a prisoner to England. On his release he travelled back to France but died violently on the journey to Paris. Lord Nelson’s body was brought to England and the admiral given a state funeral. His body is entombed in St Paul’s cathedral in London. His Majesty's Ship Belleisle after the Battle of Trafalgar. Anecdotes and traditions: As the British Fleet bore down on the Franco-Spanish line Nelson directed Lieutenant Pascoe, the signal officer of Victory, to send the signal to the Fleet “Nelson confides every man will do his duty.” Captain Hardy and Pascoe suggested this be changed to “England expects every man will do his duty”. Nelson agreed. As the signal ran up Victory’s halyard the Fleet burst into cheers. Nelson followed this with his standard battle signal “Engage the enemy more closely”. Nelson was a remarkable man. He combined a gentleness of character with an extreme ruthless aggression in action. This combined with his technical brilliance at sea made him an invincible enemy. Nelson’s tactic at Trafalgar was simple but devastatingly effective. Nelson was widely feared.

If Villeneuve had known that the British admiral was present outside Cadiz harbour it seems unlikely that even the scathing messages from Napoleon would have enticed him to sea. An American captain sailing into Cadiz assured the French admiral that Nelson was still in London. Nelson default instruction to his officers was “No captain can do wrong if he puts his ship alongside the nearest enemy”. HMS Victory, Nelson’s Flagship, lies in Portsmouth Harbour preserved as it was at the time of the battle. In his final letter Nelson asked that the Nation look after his mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton, and their daughter, Horatia. Nelson’s brother was ennobled and his wife awarded a pension. Nothing was done for Lady Hamilton. She died in reduced circumstances in Calais in 1815. The naming of the warships: Many of the Spanish ships carried religious titles: Santa Anna, Santissima Trinidad, Santo Juan Nepomuceno. Classical labels were popular with the British and French: Mars, Ajax, Agamemnon, Minotaur (British); Scipion, Pluton, Hermione, Argus, Neptune (French). There were Swiftsures and Achilles in the British and French Fleets.

The French had an Argonaute and the Spanish an Argonauta. Three British ships held French names: Belleisle, Tonnant and Bellerophon, marking that these ships or their predecessors had been captured from France. The French took names from heroic characteristics: Redoutable, Indomitable, Intrepide. Two British names reflected great size: Colossus, Leviathan. All three navies had a ship named after the classical god Neptune You can trace any member of the British Fleet by searching on this web site: Turner's magnificent representation of the Battle of Trafalgar Trafalgar : The end of the battle Designed and maintained by Chalfont Web Design © Britishbattles.com 2002 - 2016; Trafalgar : Battle of Trafalgar : Horatio Nelson : Royal Navy : French : Villeneuve : Spain Trafalgar 200 website By Richard Moore This great deciding naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars took place between 27 British ships under Admiral Nelson and 33 French and Spanish vessels under Admiral Villeneuve .

Needing to clear the British from the English Channel to allow an invasion of his implaccable national enemy, Napoleon Bonaparte wanted his navy to escape the British blockade, draw it away from Europe to the West Indies and then, after joining up with the Spanish, returning to hold the narrow stretch of water long enough to allow the crossing of his army. Surprisingly, Villeneuve did manage to slip through the blockade and a rare error by Nelson gave the French more than a week's head start. By the time he reached the West Indies the combined enemy fleet had begun returning towards Europe and safe harbour in Cadiz. Determined to bottle up and destroy his foe, Nelson and his fleet prowled waiting for an opportunity and that came faster than expected. Bonaparte, believing there was only a small blockading force outside Cadiz, ordered Villeneuve from port and into the Mediterranean. To his horror, the French admiral found himself caught between Nelson's fleet and cut off from safety by the blockading squadron.

On 21 October, Nelson sighted his prey and gave the order " England expects that every man will do his duty ." After outlining a radical plan of attack to his captains, Nelson ordered the British fleet to head in two lines towards the in-line French and Spanish. This would open up his vessels to enemy broadsides, but would split their formidable line, reduce the odds and then allow the better-trained British sailors to use their superior gunnery and sailing skills to destroy at close range. The plan worked brilliantly and with the French vanguard cut out of the battle by the British slicing through the fleet, Nelson's men proceeded to take the enemy fleet apart. Britain did not lose a ship, while 18 enemy vessels were destroyed. Some 14,000 French and Spanish sailors were lost, ten times the British casualties. However, the most notable death at Trafalgar was Nelson who was shot by a sharpshooter as the Victory passed by the Redoubtable. Mortally wounded , he died several hours later, but was safe in the knowledge he had won a massive victory. Some thought must be given to his captured opponent Villeneuve who had been driven into Nelson's sights by Bonaparte's orders.

On his return to France, the humiliated Villeneuve killed himself with a dagger, unable to put up with the shame of defeat. Trafalgar ended any chance France had of invading Britain and, from 1805 onwards, Bonaparte largely kept his military operations to terra firma.

Question: Which battle took place on 21st October 1805?
Answer: Trafalgar