In this battle on October 21, 1805. Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar is the most famous naval battle of the Napoleonic era at the cape of the same name just south of Cadiz, at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar from the Atlantic. An English squadron of 27 battleships and 4 frigates under the command of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated the Franco-Spanish fleet of 33 battleships and 7 frigates under the command of French Admiral Pierre Charles Villeneuve. Nelson, 47, whose personal courage and skill as a naval commander played a decisive role in the battle, was mortally wounded (a musket ball shattered his spine) on his flagship Victory. Villeneuve, in turn, was captured. The Trafalgar triumph brought England more than a century of undivided world dominance on the seas.
Le Redoutable (F) vaincu par le Téméraire (UK) à Trafalgar - Auguste Mayer (1805-1890). Oil on canvas, 105 cm x 162 cm. 1836
The conclusion of the Peace of Amiens in March 1802 did not resolve the contradictions between England and France. In an effort to seize the French colonies and establish undivided dominance in Europe, England again declared war on France in May 1803. In December 1804, Spain took the side of the French. After the failure of the plan to crush England by seizing its colonies in the Middle East and India, Napoleon, who assumed the title of Emperor of France on December 2, 1804, changed his plan to fight against England. This time he decided to deliver the main blow directly to England by invading the British Isles.
By the beginning of hostilities, the combined forces of the Franco-Spanish fleet numbered about 85 battleships against 105 English ones. Allied ships were based at Texel, Brest, Rochefort, Ferrol, Cadiz, Cartagena and Toulon. A significant disadvantage of basing the Franco-Spanish fleet was that it was divided by two theaters - the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and if necessary, it was difficult to concentrate it in the desired direction, since this was prevented by the English naval fortress of Gibraltar, which controlled the entrance and exit from the Mediterranean Sea to Atlantic Ocean.
The English fleet occupied a more advantageous position. Based in Plymouth, Portsmouth, Gibraltar and Malta, it could block the Franco-Spanish fleet both in the ports of the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, and, if necessary, concentrate in the direction it needed.
By blockading enemy bases and ports in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the British sought to prevent the concentration of the Franco-Spanish fleet in the English Channel, without which, in their opinion, Napoleon could not decide to invade England. The blockade operations of the English fleet began in 1803 and continued until 1805 inclusive. The main forces of the fleet were used to carry out the blockade. Based on the dislocation of the enemy fleet, the British established a permanent blockade of Texel, Brest, Rochefort, Ferrol, Cadiz and Toulon, with their main attention paid to the blockade of Brest and Toulon, the main bases of the French fleet in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Having received Napoleon's order to move to the Mediterranean Sea, the Franco-Spanish squadron left Cadiz and headed for the Strait of Gibraltar. The allied squadron had 18 French and 15 Spanish battleships against 27 British battleships, which, under the command of Admiral Nelson, blockaded Cadiz. At the head of the allied fleet was the indecisive Admiral Villeneuve. The complete opposite of him was the commander of the English fleet, Admiral Nelson. It was a very energetic and well-trained flagship with extensive combat experience. Having abandoned the standard linear tactics, he was one of the first Western European naval commanders to use new, more decisive methods of conducting naval combat.
Admiral Villeneuve, who did not believe in his own strength and in the very possibility of victory over the British, when leaving Cadiz, did not develop a battle plan in case of a meeting with the English fleet, limiting himself to only a general instruction about the need for mutual support in battle. Nelson acted differently. Anticipating the inevitability of a battle with the Franco-Spanish fleet, he developed a scenario for the upcoming battle in advance. Nelson's tactical plan was to attack the enemy from the marching formation without changing into combat formation from the shortest distance by cutting through his formation and delivering the main blow to the flagship ships. In accordance with this plan, Nelson formed his fleet in two columns. The first column, consisting of 15 battleships, was commanded by the junior flagship Collingwood, the second, consisting of 12 battleships, was commanded by Nelson. According to the plan, the main blow to the enemy was to be delivered by Admiral Collingwood's column; she had to cut through the formation of the Franco-Spanish fleet between the 12th and 13th ships from the end, surround the cut-off rearguard ships, and then destroy them or capture them. Nelson's column was supposed to provide a blow in the main direction by simultaneously attacking the center of the enemy fleet. Nelson did not allocate any forces against the enemy’s vanguard, since, knowing the poor preparation of the Franco-Spanish fleet, he believed that its center and rearguard would be defeated before the ships of the vanguard came to their aid. Having developed a general plan of attack and assigned tasks to the junior flagship and ship commanders, Admiral Nelson gave them the right to act independently, based on specific conditions. Thus, Nelson's tactical plan was based on the principle of concentrating the main forces of his fleet (27 battleships) against part of the forces of the Franco-Spanish fleet (23 battleships).
The Battle of Trafalgar von Clarkson Stanfield
The meeting of the opponents took place on the morning of October 21 on the parallel of Cape Trafalgar, 10 miles from Cadiz. The Franco-Spanish fleet moved south at a speed of 3-4 knots. Admiral Villeneuve, having discovered an English squadron on the horizon, turned back at 8 o'clock so that in case of an unsuccessful outcome of the battle he would be able to take refuge in Cadiz. The turn of the allied squadron lasted about two hours. Due to weak winds and poor training of ship commanders, the formation of the wake column was disrupted after the turn, and this subsequently prevented many ships from using their weapons in battle.
At the time of the discovery of the Franco-Spanish fleet, the English squadron was sailing in two columns. Having guessed Villeneuve's intention to evade battles and take refuge in Cadiz, Nelson decided to immediately attack the enemy, especially since the weather was quite favorable for this: a weak west-north-west was blowing and a large ocean wave was coming from the west. The English ships, approaching the enemy almost at right angles, sailed with a fuller wind than the allied ships, which also took a large ocean wave on board, which made it difficult to control the ships and conduct aimed fire. In turn, the movement of the British ships, approaching the enemy at a heading angle close to 90 degrees, put them in an extremely disadvantageous position, since they were almost deprived of the opportunity to use their artillery during the period of approach, while the enemy could hit them with longitudinal salvos. This was especially dangerous for the flagships Victory, on which Nelson held his flag, and Royal Sovereign, where Collingwood was located, sailing at the head of the columns. Only the weak artillery preparation of the allied ships did not allow them to take advantage of their favorable position to deliver an effective blow to the British at the rapprochement stage.
Nelsons Flaggschiff "Victory" um 1900 in Portsmouth
At 12 o'clock Nelson raised the signal to begin the battle. Collingwood's flagship Royal Sovereign was the first to get close to the enemy and at about 12:30 p.m. cut through his formation under the stern of the 16th ship from the end of the column. Following him, at significant intervals in time, they began to alternately cut through the formation of the allied rearguard and the remaining ships of his column. When cutting through the formation, British ships fired longitudinal salvos from both sides from a distance of several tens of meters, causing serious damage to the enemy ships in the hull and causing heavy losses in personnel. The English gunners fired at the enemy approximately three times faster than the allies. This certainly affected the results of the battle, in which artillery played a decisive role. But, despite these seemingly favorable conditions, the planned concentration of the superior forces of the English fleet in the direction of the main attack (15 ships against the 12 allied rearguard) failed due to a miscalculation by Admiral Collingwood in maneuvering. Due to an error in maneuvering, 15 British ships operating in the main direction had to fight with 16 allied ships. In addition, the British were unable to achieve a simultaneous attack. Their ships entered the battle singly and at long intervals, which put them at an extremely disadvantageous position, since the enemy was able to concentrate superior forces against them. However, the Allies did not use this opportunity either.
Photo by Matt Sellers, Birmingham, England
At 13 o'clock Nelson's column entered the battle. The first to cut through the formation was the battleship Victory, which went astern of Villeneuve's flagship Busantor and fired a longitudinal salvo at it. Following him, one after another, the remaining ships of the column entered the battle, firing longitudinal salvos at the allied ships. After cutting through the formation, Nelson's flagship came under heavy simultaneous artillery and rifle fire from several enemy ships that surrounded her. During the battle, Admiral Nelson was mortally wounded and died before the end of the battle. From that moment on, the ships' combat formations were completely disrupted. The commanders, at their discretion, selected enemy ships and engaged them in artillery combat at extremely short distances, measured in tens of meters, and sometimes several meters. Under these conditions, the superiority of the English gunners and the rate of fire of the artillery were decisive for the outcome of the battle.
By 15:00, when the battle reached its greatest intensity, the British managed to put into action only 14 ships against 23 enemy ships. Despite the fact that the British by this time had achieved a certain success, capturing several allied ships, their situation was still difficult. Many English ships were so seriously damaged that they could no longer continue the battle. If the vanguard of the allied squadron had come to the aid of its center in time, and the rearguard, where the Spanish ships were mainly located, had shown more tenacity and perseverance in achieving its goal, then it is unknown how the battle would have ended. But that did not happen. The vanguard of the allied fleet, despite Villeneuve’s repeated signals to turn back and go to the aid of the center, actually did not carry out this order and approached the battlefield with part of its ships after the outcome of the battle was decided in favor of the British. Eleven ships of the rearguard of the allied fleet, taking advantage of Collingwood's mistake, heading with his ships towards the enemy vanguard approaching from the north, left the encirclement and, instead of providing assistance to their center, went to Cadiz.
By 17:30 the battle ended in complete victory for the British. The Allies lost 18 ships (of which 1 was destroyed and 17 captured) and about 7 thousand people killed, wounded and captured. The British lost up to 2 thousand people, and their ships were so damaged that they could not bring captured allied ships to their bases. Some of them sank, while others were recaptured by the French the next day.
The victory of the English fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar is explained by the following main reasons. The British had well-trained crews, especially gunners; at the head of the fleet was an experienced and energetic commander who knew well the weaknesses of the Franco-Spanish fleet and skillfully used them to achieve victory; the battle plan he developed was based on the use of new, more decisive methods of attack and tactical methods of using naval artillery; ship commanders took advantage of broad initiative in battle.
The Battle of Trafalgar is one of the largest battles of the Western European fleets of the sailing fleet period. However, this battle did not have a significant impact on the change in the situation and plans of Napoleon's war.
Magazine "Around the World"
"Chronograph" section
Materials used from the book: “One Hundred Great Battles”, M. “Veche”, 2002
www.chrono.ru
editor Vyacheslav Rumyantsev
On this day 210 years ago, two inextricably linked events took place in British history.
The first of them is the Battle of Trafalgar, which became the triumph of British guns and brought Great Britain the status of master of the seas.
It so happened that the Battle of Trafalgar became the last battle for the commander of the English fleet, Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson. During the battle he was mortally wounded and subsequently died.
Since these two events, I repeat, are inextricably linked, we will talk about them simultaneously.
Battle of Trafalgar
So, a little history. Brief information about the Battle of Trafalgar.Occurred on October 21, 1805 at Cape Trafalgar on the Atlantic coast of Spain near the city of Cadiz between British and Franco-Spanish naval forces.
The battle was part of the War of the Third Coalition and the major naval confrontation of the 19th century.
Battle of Trafalgar
For reference
War of the Third Coalition (also known in history as the Russian-Austro-French War of 1805)– fighting between France, Spain, Bavaria and Italy, on the one hand, and the Third Anti-French Coalition: Austria, Russia, Great Britain, Sweden, the Kingdom of Naples and Portugal, on the other.
What were the results of the historical battle?
Spain and France, which acted in an alliance, lost 18 ships (1 was sunk, the rest were captured). These losses amounted to almost almost the entire fleet. As for manpower, the losses here amounted to about 15 thousand people killed, wounded and captured.
The British did not lose a single ship. However, many of them were damaged. For example, the flagship Victory had to be repaired in Gibraltar before it could reach England. Their human losses amounted to about 2 thousand people. This is if we talk about military tactics.
The strategic results of this battle were much more significant. France and Spain lost their naval supremacy forever. Napoleon had to abandon plans to invade England and the Kingdom of Naples. Great Britain finally acquired the status of mistress of the seas. 
Flagship "Victory"
Trafalgar Square
In honor of this victory of the British fleet, one of the squares in London, which formerly bore the name of King William IV, was renamed Trafalgar.On one of the pedestals standing in the square there is a huge copy of the flagship Victory in a giant glass bottle. Also erected on the square is a column of Vice Admiral Nelson.
Replica of the ship "Victory" in a bottle,
installed in Trafalgar Square
Nelson's Column
in Trafalgar Square
Horatio Nelson
Well, now the story will be about the hero of the battle (and not only that) Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson.Childhood and youth
The future vice admiral was born on September 27, 1758. His father was a parish priest.After studying at school for several years, at the age of 11 he went to serve as a cabin boy on a ship commanded by his uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling.
After this there was service on merchant and military ships sailing to the West and East Indies, and participation in a polar expedition.
Having gained enormous experience, at the age of 19 he brilliantly passed the exam for the rank of lieutenant, proved himself in the war with the North American colonists, and a year later he was already captain of a brig, and a year later - captain of a frigate.
Mature years
While serving in the merchant marine in the West Indies, Nelson constantly fought against smuggling. Most officials patronized the smugglers because they received good bribes from them. Because of this, the truth-seeking Nelson often clashed with his superiors, demanding strict adherence to the law. Thus, he made many enemies among Admiralty officials.When he returned to England from the West Indies, he was forced to live in the village for 5 years, since he was actually excommunicated from the fleet.
When the war with France began in 1793, Nelson was appointed to the post of captain of a battleship as part of the Mediterranean squadron. In the same year he fought near Toulon, and in 1794 he commanded a landing party in Corsica.
On July 13, 1795, Nelson forced the surrender of a French ship that was much stronger than his own.
But the real glory of a national hero came to him after the battle on February 14, 1797 at Cape St. Vincent (Portugal). On his own initiative, he took his ship out of the squadron's line formation and boarded two of the four Spanish ships captured by the British, for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Bath and the rank of rear admiral.
For reference
Most Venerable Order of the Bath- British order of chivalry. It was founded by King George I on May 18, 1725. The name of the order was given by an ancient ritual, during which applicants for knighthood on the eve of the knighthood ritual had to stay up all night, fast, pray and wash in a bathhouse (in 1815 the ceremony was abolished).
Order of the Bath
On August 1, 1798, in the Gulf of Abukir (the mouth of the Nile), he attacked 13 French ships with 10 ships and destroyed 11 of them. However, only a few of his ships received minor damage and needed only minor repairs. Napoleon's army was defeated in Egypt. For this, George III created Nelson a peerage of Neale and Burnham Thorpe.
Having repaired his ships in Naples and assisted the King of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand IV in suppressing the Neapolitan revolution, he received the title of Duke of Bronte in gratitude.
In 1801, Nelson returned to England and received the rank of vice admiral and the position of 2nd flagship of the Baltic squadron. April 2, 1801 burns the Danish fleet in the harbor of Copenhagen and receives the title of viscount for this.
In 1803, hostilities against France were resumed. Nelson leads the British Mediterranean squadron and literally chases the enemy for two years, evading the general battle that will take place on October 2, 1805.
Death
Several times she sneaked up very close to Nelson. But he, one might say, got off with a slight fright.In 1794, when he was commander of the landing force in Corsica, during the siege of the Calvi fortress, he was left without his right eye,
In July 1797, during an unsuccessful attempt to capture the port of Santa Cruz (Tenerife), he lost his right arm.
Death awaited him on October 21, 1805.
And again a few words about the course of the battle. Naval battles in those days were fought according to the same pattern: during the battle, squadrons passed sideways to each other and fired from all the cannons on one side.
Nelson decided to move away from this scheme. In preparation for the Battle of Trafalgar, the truly brilliant vice admiral decided to first concentrate the attack on the fifth or sixth ship of the enemy formation, destroy it, thus breaking the enemy’s battle formation, and then deal with the remaining ships.
Battle of Trafalgar. Disposition
His idea was a success, and the Franco-Spanish system was destroyed. When the flagship Victory came alongside one of the French ships, Nelson was on the captain's bridge. At one point, he stopped to give the order for the portrait of his mistress Lady Hamilton, which hung in the cabin, to be removed to a safe place. (This portrait was very dear to the vice admiral, not only as a man, but also as a naval commander, because Emma Hamilton was not just his beloved woman, but also the inspiration of his victories). Suddenly Nelson fell. The adjutant who ran up heard the following words;
- This time, Hardy, they killed me!
- I hope not, sir!
But there was nothing to hope for. The bullet that wounded Nelson was fired from above, from the mast. It pierced the epaulette, entered the left shoulder, passed through the lung and spine and got stuck in the back muscles. 
Nelson's death
The sailors carried the dying vice admiral to a special cabin where the wounded were housed. The ship's doctor attended to him, trying to ease his suffering. But even on his deathbed, the fleet commander thought only about the outcome of the battle. Hardy constantly reported to the commander on the progress of the battle
An hour after Nelson was wounded, Hardy reported that the French fleet had wavered. After some time, the flagship of the allied fleet surrendered. Of course, the French commander-in-chief, Admiral Villeneuve, also surrendered. A few hours later the British achieved complete victory.
Nelson had the opportunity to transfer command to Admiral Collingwood, but he did not want to do this until his death. In the logbook of the admiral's ship "Victory" that day, an entry was made: "The rare fire continued until four and a half hours, when, after reporting to Lord Viscount Nelson about the victory, he died from his wound."
Transporting Nelson's body to England
There is an old maritime custom: all sailors who die or are killed on a ship on the high seas are buried at sea, throwing the body overboard.Nelson, who had gone to sea since childhood, was, of course, well aware of this custom, but for some reason, the vice admiral did not want to be buried in this way, and therefore wrote in his will that wherever he died, he should be buried in London. Of course, the sailors could not refuse to fulfill the will of their commander. The body had to be transported to England. The question arose: how?
Of course, there was no talk of any refrigerators for transportation at the beginning of the 19th century, so for safety, the vice admiral’s body was placed in a wine barrel and filled to the brim with brandy, which in those days was mandatory for all ships. In this way, the body was preserved both during the repair of the Victory and during transportation to England.
Nelson's death mask
Funeral
The solemn state funeral of the commander of the British fleet, Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, took place in London on January 9, 1806.An unusual funeral procession took place the day before.
A large royal boat was sailing along the Thames; on it, under a canopy, stood the coffin with the body of the vice-admiral. The sides of the boat were draped in black velvet, and a mourning plume fluttered above the canopy. The boat's crew: ten oarsmen, a helmsman and a lookout, were dressed all in black. The boat was accompanied by more than 60 different rowing vessels. The funeral procession moved slowly up the Thames to the sound of cannon salutes, and finally stopped at the landing steps at Whitehall.
The next day, Horatio Nelson found eternal rest in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral, where many famous people of the United Kingdom are buried.
St Paul's Cathedral in London
A black coffin was installed at the vice admiral's grave. This coffin has a very interesting history. It was made under Henry VIII for the remains of Cardinal Wolsey. But the cardinal fell out of favor with the king (it was very easy to fall out of favor with Henry VIII). The king gave orders not to bury Wolsey in a manufactured coffin, which had stood in Windsor Castle all this time. As a result, it was decided to place it on Nelson's grave. 
Vice Admiral Nelson's grave
The beginning of the 19th century in Europe took place under the sign of the Napoleonic wars. Revolutionary France, repelling the attacks of counter-revolutionaries of all stripes, replaced the established republican system with a dictatorship, and then with a new monarchy under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The newly-minted French Empire now itself acted as an invader, intending to redraw the world map to its liking.
In order to assert dominance in Europe, France needed to neutralize its longtime sworn enemy, England.
By 1805, Napoleon had fully developed plans for an invasion of the British Isles. According to him, two waves of landing were being prepared. The first 1,700 barges were supposed to transport 113 thousand people and 5,600 horses. In the second, they were to be joined by 48 thousand soldiers and 3,400 horses, for the transportation of which 590 barges were prepared.
The army, which had already received the name “English,” was preparing to cross the English Channel in the specially created Boulogne camp. Napoleon visited the troops several times to check on their condition and strengthen the morale of the soldiers.
Bad commander of a bad fleet
Everything was ready for crossing the English Channel. However, this operation was prevented by the English fleet guarding the strait.
The navy was the main hope and support of the British Empire, and in order to carry out invasion plans, France needed to, if not defeat it, then at least force it to weaken its presence in the English Channel.
The problem was that the French fleet was seriously damaged during the revolution. The backbone of its officer corps consisted of people from aristocratic families, who for the most part either died or were forced to flee the country.
The commander of the French fleet was Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, also a descendant of aristocrats, who suffered for his origin, but escaped the worst. He had behind him a defeat from the British in the Battle of Aboukir, which did not set him in an optimistic mood, but Napoleon did not have a better naval commander.
The French emperor was aware that his fleet was no match for the British, and therefore set auxiliary tasks for it. In March 1805, Admiral Villeneuve received orders from Napoleon to make a trip to the Caribbean Sea. The calculation was that the British, alarmed by the fate of their colonies, would send the main forces of their fleet after Villeneuve and thereby allow them to cross the English Channel.
Villeneuve's Caribbean expedition. March - October 1805. Source: Public Domain
Military campaign under threat of resignation
The British, however, figured out the enemy's plans and continued to keep ships near the English Channel.
The French Emperor demanded that Villeneuve take his ships to the English Channel to make another attempt to divert the British fleet.
Admiral Villeneuve, citing illness and the poor condition of the ships, led the squadron to Spanish Cadiz, where he anchored for repairs. The French were accompanied by allied Spanish ships.
The stopover in Cadiz lasted for two months, which the British took advantage of. British fleet under the command Admiral Horatio Nelson organized a blockade of Cadiz, depriving the enemy of the opportunity to maneuver.
On September 17, 1805, Napoleon sent Villeneuve an order to weigh anchor with the entire allied fleet and go to Cartagena to unite with the Spanish there. Rear Admiral Salcedo, and from there - to Naples, to land there the troops located with his squadron as reinforcements to General Saint-Cyr, who was supposed to invade the Kingdom of Naples from the north.
Admiral Villeneuve hesitated, believing that a clash with the British would turn into a disaster. Spanish supported him Commander Antonio de Escaño, who believed that the Franco-Spanish forces should strengthen the defenses of Cadiz, and not go for a breakthrough.
In the second half of October, Admiral Villeneuve learned that the emperor, who had lost patience, was preparing a replacement for him, and gave the order for the squadron to go to sea. On October 19, 1805, Franco-Spanish forces left Cadiz to meet the British.
Source: www.globallookpress.com
English plan
The allied fleet had at its disposal 18 French and 15 Spanish battleships versus 27 English. This advantage, however, was offset by the indecisiveness of Admiral Villeneuve.
The French commander did not have any clear battle plan. After Aboukir, Villeneuve seemed to believe in English invincibility and did not believe in the possibility of a successful outcome of the battle.
Horatio Nelson was a determined and active man. He approached the encounter with the enemy with a carefully thought-out plan of action. Abandoning the classical linear tactics of naval combat at that time, Nelson intended to attack the enemy from a marching formation without changing into a combat formation from the shortest distance by cutting through his formation and delivering the main blow to the flagship ships. In accordance with this plan, Nelson formed his fleet in two columns. The first column, consisting of 15 battleships, was commanded by junior flagship Collingwood, the second, numbering 12 battleships, was Nelson himself. According to the plan, the main blow to the enemy was to be delivered by Admiral Collingwood's column; she had to cut through the formation of the Franco-Spanish fleet between the 12th and 13th ships from the end, surround the cut-off rearguard ships, and then destroy them or capture them.Risk is a noble cause
At about 5:30 am on October 21, 1805, about 10 miles from Cape Trafalgar, French signalmen saw an English squadron approaching from the west. Admiral Villeneuve hesitated again. In the end, he gave the order to take a reverse course, so that in case of an unsuccessful outcome of the battle he would be able to take refuge in Cadiz. The turn of the allied squadron lasted about two hours. Due to weak winds and poor training of ship commanders, the formation of the wake column was disrupted after the turn, and this subsequently prevented many ships from using their weapons in battle.
Nelson, having discovered the enemy, understood Villeneuve's intentions and ordered an immediate attack. The wind and ocean wave favored the British in these conditions. At the same time, the movement of the British ships, approaching the enemy at a heading angle close to 90 degrees, put them in an extremely disadvantageous position, since they were almost deprived of the opportunity to use their artillery during the period of approach, while the enemy could hit them with longitudinal salvos.
Horatio Nelson took this risk consciously. Knowing about the poor level of training of French naval sailors, he was confident that enemy cannon fire would not cause significant damage.
Source: www.globallookpress.com
Bullet for the Admiral
The battle began around noon. The first column of English ships cut through the formation of the French and Spaniards. The British fired longitudinal salvos from several tens of meters from both sides, causing serious damage to the enemy ships in the hull and causing heavy losses in personnel. The English gunners fired at the enemy approximately three times faster than the allies.
Nelson's plan, however, was almost ruined by Admiral Collingwood. An error in maneuvering forced 15 British ships to fight with 16 enemy ships, while Nelson expected that the British would have an advantage of “15 versus 12” in the main direction. In addition, the attack was not simultaneous - the British ships entered the battle at long intervals, which gave the French the opportunity to use their numerical superiority. However, Villeneuve's indecisiveness and the poor preparation of the French commanders led to the fact that these chances were missed.
At one o'clock in the afternoon Nelson's column entered the battle. Powerful artillery and rifle fire fell on the flagship of the English admiral, Victory, which was sailing first.
One of the bullets from the French ship pierced Admiral Nelson's golden epaulet, passed through the shoulder, shattered the spine and entered the lung, filling it with blood. The wound turned out to be fatal - the English commander-in-chief died before the end of the battle.
Source: www.globallookpress.com
"My Lord, this day is yours"
Nelson's mortal wound finally turned the battle into battles between individual ships. Here the best training of English sailors came to the fore.
At about two o'clock in the afternoon, Admiral Villeneuve's flagship lowered its flag and surrendered. Several more French and Spanish ships were so seriously damaged that they could not continue the battle.
Many British ships were also seriously damaged, but there was more tenacity, determination and professionalism in the actions of the British.
Admiral Nelson died around four o'clock in the afternoon. Before his death, one of the officers reported to him: “My Lord, this day is yours,” making it clear that the naval commander had won his last battle.
Unlike Villeneuve, Spanish Admiral Federico Gravina, who led the Allied rearguard, did not lower the flag. He continued to lead the battle even when his hand was crushed by buckshot. It was Admiral Gravina who managed to withdraw the surviving Allied ships from the battle and take refuge with them in Cadiz, avoiding English pursuit.
Gravina's personal courage could not change the overall outcome of the battle, which ended at about half past five in the evening. The Allies lost 18 ships (of which 1 was destroyed and 17 captured) and, according to various sources, from 7 to 14 thousand people killed, wounded and captured. The British lost up to 2 thousand people killed and wounded, and their ships were so damaged that they could not bring captured allied ships to their bases. Some of them sank, while others were recaptured by the French the next day.
The birth of "admiral's blood"
The difference was that the losses of the English fleet were replaceable, while for the Franco-Spanish forces the defeat at Trafalgar was a complete disaster.
Defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar forced Napoleon to abandon plans to invade England and turn his attention back to his opponents in continental Europe. The British Empire was saved.
The main hero of the battle, Horatio Nelson, was buried in London at St. Paul's Cathedral on January 9, 1806. The flagship Victory was so seriously damaged that it was repaired in Gibraltar for a long time. All this time, the body of the deceased Nelson was kept in a barrel of brandy for safety.
According to legend, the English sailors, thirsty for alcohol, did not disdain to secretly strain alcohol from the barrel where Nelson’s body was located. Perhaps this is just a myth, but from then on the rum given to English sailors on ships received the unofficial name “admiral’s blood.”
There is another famous legend about the Battle of Trafalgar. According to it, before the start of the battle, Nelson raised the flag signal on the flagship: “England expects everyone to do their duty.” This phrase has become a catchphrase in Britain, but skeptics insist that there is no evidence for it, and the signal raised by the admiral read the usual “Follow me” in such cases.
Honor for some, shame for others
The losers, of course, did not receive the glory that Nelson received. Admiral Federico Gravina, whose courage allowed the Spaniards and French to retain honor, never survived the consequences of his severe wound received at Trafalgar, and died in March 1806.
Admiral Villeneuve was in English captivity until April 1806 and was released on his word of honor that he would no longer fight against the British Empire.
Understanding all the consequences of the defeat at Trafalgar, the French admiral could not stand waiting for the emperor to decide his fate. On April 22, his body was found in one of the rooms of the inn where he had stayed awaiting Napoleon's orders. Police said Villeneuve committed suicide.
The victory at the Battle of Trafalgar is still revered in Great Britain as one of the most outstanding military triumphs in the country's history.
On the 204th anniversary of the battle, October 21, 2009, the last surviving flag from an English ship that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar was sold at auction in London. With an initial asking price of £14,000, the flag sold for £384,000.
British EmpireIn this decisive naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, France and Spain lost twenty-two ships, while Great Britain lost none. During the battle, the commander of the English fleet, Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, was killed.
The combined fleet of France and Spain was commanded by French Admiral Pierre Villeneuve. Under his command was the Spanish admiral Federico Gravina, who led the Spanish forces.
The Battle of Trafalgar was part of the War of the Third Coalition and the major naval confrontation of the 19th century. Britain's victory confirmed the country's naval supremacy, established in the 18th century. After his defeat, Napoleon abandoned his plan to attack southern England and concentrated on the war against the other two major powers of Europe: Austria and Russia.
Prerequisites
After Britain and France were again at war with each other in May 1803, after the short-lived Peace of Amiens, Napoleon decided to stage an invasion of Britain.
In 1805, Europe's main land force was the army of the First French Empire under Napoleon; at sea, such a force was the Royal Navy of Great Britain. During the war, Britain imposed a naval blockade on France, which affected trade and prevented France from mobilizing all of its naval forces. Despite several successful blockade breaks, the French ships were unable to completely stop the actions of the British fleet, which could equally attack them both on its territory and outside it.
The bulk of the French fleet was located at Brest (in Brittany) and Toulon on the Mediterranean coast. There were also smaller squadrons that were stationed in ports on the Atlantic coast of France.
Great Britain had a well-trained and experienced naval officer corps, while the best officers of the French navy were either executed or removed from service at the beginning of the French Revolution. The most reliable person who could be entrusted with the command of Napoleon's Mediterranean Fleet was Pierre-Charles Villeneuve.
Balance of fleet forces
| British ships | Cannons | Type | French ships | Cannons | Type | Spanish ships | Cannons | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victory | 104 | three-deck | Busantor | 80 | two-deck | Santisima Trinidad | 136 | four-decker |
| Royal Sovereign | 100 | three-deck | Formidable | 80 | two-deck | Santa Ana | 112 | three-deck |
| Britannia | 100 | three-deck | Endomtable | 80 | two-deck | Principe de Asturias | 112 | three-deck |
| Dreadnought | 98 | three-deck | Neptune | 80 | two-deck | Rayo | 100 | three-deck |
| Neptune | 98 | three-deck | Achille | 74 | two-deck | Neptuno (commander Cayetano Valdez y Flores) | 80 | two-deck |
| Prince | 98 | three-deck | Aigle | 74 | two-deck | Argonauta | 80 | two-deck |
| Temeraire | 98 | three-deck | Algeciras | 74 | two-deck | Bahama | 74 | two-deck |
| Tonnant | 80 | two-deck | Argonot | 74 | two-deck | Monarca | 74 | two-deck |
| Achille | 74 | two-deck | Duguay-Trouin | 74 | two-deck | Montanez | 74 | two-deck |
| Ajax | 74 | two-deck | Fuguet | 74 | two-deck | San Agustin | 74 | two-deck |
| Bellerophon | 74 | two-deck | Ero | 74 | two-deck | San Francisco de Asis | 74 | two-deck |
| Colossus | 74 | two-deck | Entrepid | 74 | two-deck | San Ildefonso | 74 | two-deck |
| Conqueror | 74 | two-deck | Mont Blanc | 74 | two-deck | San Juan Nepomuceno | 74 | two-deck |
| Defense | 74 | two-deck | Pluto | 74 | two-deck | San Justo | 74 | two-deck |
| Defiance | 74 | two-deck | Redoutable | 74 | two-deck | San Leandro | 64 | two-deck |
| Leviathan | 74 | two-deck | Sipion | 74 | two-deck | |||
| Mars | 74 | two-deck | Berwick | 74 | two-deck | |||
| Minotaur | 74 | two-deck | Swiftsure | 74 | two-deck | |||
| Orion | 74 | two-deck | Corneli | 40 | frigate | |||
| Revenge | 74 | two-deck | Ermion | 40 | frigate | |||
| Swiftsure | 74 | two-deck | Ortens | 40 | frigate | |||
| Thunderer | 74 | two-deck | Ren | 40 | frigate | |||
| Belleisle | 74 | two-deck | Themis | 40 | frigate | |||
| Spartiate | 74 | two-deck | Furet | 18 | sloop | |||
| Africa | 64 | two-deck | Argus | 10 | sloop | |||
| Agamemnon | 64 | two-deck | ||||||
| Polyphemus | 64 | two-deck | ||||||
| Euryalus | 36 | frigate | ||||||
| Naiad | 36 | frigate | ||||||
| Phoebe | 36 | frigate | ||||||
| Sirius | 36 | frigate | ||||||
| Pickle | 10 | sloop | ||||||
| Entreprenante | 10 | sloop | ||||||
| Four-deck | - | Four-deck | - | Four-deck | 1 | |||
| Three-deck | 7 | Three-deck | - | Three-deck | 3 | |||
| Two-deck | 20 | Two-deck | 18 | Two-deck | 11 | |||
| Frigates | 4* | Frigates | 5* | Frigates | - | |||
| Shlyupov | 2* | Shlyupov | 2* | Shlyupov | - | |||
| guns: | 2312 | guns: | 1584 | guns: | 1280 |
- Frigates and sloops are not included in the indicated number of ships, as they are unsuitable for linear combat.
Progress of the battle
Maneuvers before battle
The combined French-Spanish squadron, despite the objections of the Spanish commander Antonio de Escaño, left Cadiz on 19 October, heading south towards Gibraltar. Villeneuve held his flag at Busantore (fr. Bucentaure). Against the advice of his admirals, Villeneuve, adhering to the old linear tactics, formed his fleet in a single line.
Early in the morning at 5:30, October 21, the signalmen saw an approaching English squadron in the west. The Allied fleet was 10-12 miles from Cape Trafalgar. For some time, Villeneuve hesitated whether to accept the fight or return. At about eight in the morning, Villeneuve ordered his ships to “jibe, all of a sudden, heading north, in reverse order,” and move back to Cadiz. This meant that the vanguard became the rearguard. By 10:00 the turn was completed. Such a maneuver before the start of the battle upset the battle formation, dangerous gaps in the distance appeared in the formation of the Allied ships, and some ships, in order to avoid colliding with their neighbors, were forced to fall down and “fall out” of the formation.
On this day, a weak westerly wind was blowing, sometimes setting a point to the north. A storm was approaching and there was a lot of rocking. With such seas, naval artillery cannot fire effectively at long distances. Nelson took into account all these circumstances: weak wind, dead swell, his advantage in the wind - and decided to abandon the classic linear tactics, where the outcome of the battle is decided by the number of ships participating in the battle, as well as the number and caliber of onboard artillery. The wind favored Nelson: he went to full backstay, ordering additional foxes to be installed to increase speed.
Nelson built his ships in two columns (in English-language literature you can often find the term “division”). The admiral's flag was raised at Victory . This ship was leading in the left (windward) division. The right (leeward) division was led by Rear Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood at Royal Sovereign .
By the time of the clash, Villeneuve was heading almost to the north, on port tack, in a full close-hauled direction. After the turn, the formation of his ships did not have time to line up in an ideal wake formation, when the following ship protects the stern of the one in front. The Allied formation was a crescent curved to the right, towards the mainland. Villeneuve was severely limited in maneuver - the wind gave him the only opportunity: to jibe, thereby breaking the formation (and exposing the stern to Nelson's artillery). At the same time, he had a close coast of the mainland under the wind.
Start of the battle
Shortly after 11:00 the first salvo of the Battle of Trafalgar was fired. St. Anne opened fire on the one who was ahead of everyone Royal Sovereign . Following this, other Allied ships opened fire. Nelson, approaching at right angles, for some time found himself in the range of Villeneuve’s long-range airborne artillery, depriving himself of the opportunity to conduct an artillery duel.
The first, around 12:30, the enemy formation was cut through by a faster Royal Sovereign . He wedged himself between the Spanish St. Anne and French Fougueux . The rest of the ships in his division fell behind, and for the first 20 minutes he fought alone.
45 minutes behind him, Victory , at the head of the windward division, broke through the enemy column between Redoutable and the Allied flagship Bucentaure .
Nelson, in full uniform, with all the regalia, was on the quarterdeck Victory , next to his captain, Thomas Hardy. The admiral did not pay attention to the persuasion to go down. He stated that the sight of the admiral on the bridge of the flagship should inspire all the sailors of the English squadron.
The gunners on British ships were significantly superior in training to the Allied artillerymen: on average, for every salvo of the French and Spaniards there were three salvos from the British (French historians give a rate of fire ratio of 7/4). The British, cutting through Villeneuve's formation, fired from both sides. The main target was the enemy's cannon ports - thus, the heavy artillery was disabled first.
Due to the weak wind, the English ships entered into battle with large time intervals. The Allies were let down by indecision and low cohesion. Allied vanguard (commander - Admiral Pierre Dumanoir on the flagship of the vanguard Formidable ) broke away from the central group, and, not paying attention to Villeneuve’s signals, continued to march towards Cadiz. He took nine ships with him: ( Neptuno , Scipion , Intrepid , Raio , Formidable , Montblane , San Francisco de Asis , Duguay Troun ) and one ship from the central group that joined the vanguard - Heros .
Close fight
The flagship of the British, Victory , going around Bucentaure , turned right. He had to make such a maneuver because a well-accelerated Temeraire , which had previously followed the stern of the flagship. Temeraire entered into battle with the Allied flagship, and Victory fell into a boarding battle with Redoutable , following in the wake Bucentaure . During such a battle, ships are usually interlocked with gear, and it is very difficult to separate them. The artillery is silent - all sailors are given boarding weapons and sent to the upper deck. The entire battle comes down to hand-to-hand combat and small arms fire.
Shooter on Mars Redoutable spotted Nelson on deck Victory and shot him with a musket. The bullet went through the epaulette, pierced the shoulder and lodged in the spine. Nelson, taken to the infirmary, was still alive and demanded a report on the ongoing battle.
Shortly after 2 p.m. Bucentaure lowered the flag, and Villeneuve surrendered. By this point in time, already 12 (or more) ships of the French and Spaniards could not continue the battle or were captured. Captain Victory , Thomas Hardy, answered the dying Nelson's question: “My Lord, this day is yours.”
However, the battle was just heating up. The formation of ships on both sides was hopelessly broken, and each captain chose his own target. By 16:00 the sea was mixed with French, English and Spanish ships fighting each other.
The most fierce battles broke out in the Allied rearguard, commanded by Federico Gravina at Prince des Astorias . His ship had to fight against the English Defiance And Revenge . Admiral Gravina himself showed exceptional courage in battle, receiving many wounds from which he later died.
End of the battle on October 21
Admiral Collingwood, at the head of the ships that broke through the enemy's ranks, rushed after the ships of the Allied vanguard moving towards Cadiz. This was his tactical mistake: the Allied rearguard was by then immobilized and could not maneuver, presenting an easier target. Taking advantage of this circumstance, Admiral Federico Gravina Prince des Asturias raised the “Follow me” signal. The ships followed: San Justo , San Leandro , Montanes , Indomptable , Neptuno , Argonaute . These ships received severe damage both in equipment and in manpower. Admiral Gravina's maneuver made it possible to save these ships from English captivity.
Allied vanguard commander, Admiral Dumanoir Formidable , seeing Collingwood in pursuit, finally tacked. He ordered all his ships to follow a course west-southwest. This course lay significantly more seaward than the general area of the battle. However Intrepid (Captain of the first rank Enferne) disobeyed the order of the vanguard commander and turned to the left, rushing into the thick of the battle. Almost all the ships that had previously followed the lead ship rushed after him. A new phase of the battle ensued when fresh Allied forces entered the battle against the battered ships of the British left division. However, four French ships: Formidable , Duguay Troun , Montblane And Scipion passed the fight.
Nelson died at 4:30 p.m. The battle continued until 17:30. By nightfall a storm broke out.
Stormy day October 22
All day on October 22, a storm raged, which sank many ships that were barely staying afloat, or threw their hulls ashore. For example, the British lost captured Santisima Trinidad And Bahama , which sank to the bottom during towing. Monarca crashed on the rocks of the Spanish coast.
The crews fought for the buoyancy of their ships, hastily patching holes, pumping water out of holds, splicing broken rigging, replacing spars. There was no time for rituals on this day, so the bodies of the dead were simply thrown into the sea.
Resumption of battle on October 23
Admiral Gravina, having hastily repaired the ships he had taken away the previous day, went to sea again. He made an attempt to recapture the ships they had captured from the British, as well as to save the crews of those ships that were barely staying afloat. Gravina moved his pennant to Montanes . They followed him San Justo , San Francisco de Asis And Tronador (a hundred-gun ship that did not participate in the main battle of October 21), as well as several light frigates and cutters.
Seeing the approaching ships flying the Spanish flag, the crew St. Anne (Captain First Rank Don Ignacio M. de Alava) rebelled, killed the English prize team and replaced the English flag with a Spanish one. To quell the riot, two English ships rushed towards him. St. Anne opened fire on them and fought bravely until Gravina arrived in time.
St. Anne by this time she could not move independently, having lost the entire spar, except for the foremast. Therefore, she from a light frigate Femida they started a tug and took it to Cadiz.
However, by evening the storm broke out with renewed vigor. Wrecked San Francisco de Asis And Tronador . Nevertheless, St. Anne successfully reached Cadiz.
Results of the Battle of Trafalgar
The Allies lost 18 ships (one sunk, the rest captured) and about 15 thousand people killed, wounded and surrendered. The British captured or sank almost the entire allied fleet without losing a single ship. Their losses in killed and wounded amounted to about 2 thousand people. Many British ships were damaged, such as the flagship Victory had to be repaired in Gibraltar before it could reach England (and deliver Nelson's body there).
However, the strategic results of this battle were much more significant. France and Spain lost their naval power forever. Napoleon abandoned his plans to land troops in England and invade the Kingdom of Naples. Great Britain finally acquired the status of mistress of the seas.
Signal raised by Nelson
According to legend, before the start of the Battle of Trafalgar, Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson raised Victory flag signal “England expects that every man will do his duty.” Although there was uncertainty in the wording of the signal after the battle, the significance of the victory and Nelson's death meant that the phrase became etched in the minds of the English people, often quoted and paraphrased.
"Admiral's Rum"
After battle Victory was damaged and was towed to Gibraltar for repairs. Admiral Nelson's body had to be placed in a barrel of rum. There is a common legend that the sailors dug a hole in the barrel through which they strained out all the rum. Considering the respect and great love that Nelson enjoyed in the navy, such a legend seems doubtful. However, from that time on, in the English navy, the rum issued on ships was called “admiral’s blood” or “Nelson’s blood.”
The Battle of Trafalgar is famous for its historical consequences. The legendary Admiral Nelson died in this battle. The undeniable victory of the English fleet put an end to attacks from France.
The cape where all this happened is called Trafalgar, and the battle itself took place on October twenty-first, one thousand eight hundred and five. The answer is TRAFALGAR.
For England, this event is significant as a national holiday of the victory of its fleet. For world history, as the most ambitious naval battle that took place in the nineteenth century. This naval battle took place in the area of Cape Trafalgar. The place became known in history as TRAFALGAR.
TRAFALGAR
Or rather, a naval battle at the above-mentioned cape.
It was here that the British naval force, the beauty and pride of the Grand Fleet, Sir Horatio Nelson, died.
The British, I think, would happily agree to lose a bunch of ships.
Naval Englishmen, not City sponsors, of course.
In general, it is considered the largest naval battle of the nineteenth century.
The Battle of Trafalgar took place on this day and is celebrated in Britain as the day of the victory of the Royal Navy. The fleet was commanded by the famous Vice Admiral Nelson, the battle was the last for the admiral. The Battle of Trafalgar has gone down in history as one of the greatest naval battles. The ten letter answer is Trafalgar.
The question in question is about the famous naval battle, it took place off Cape Trafalgar.
Then two fleets took part in the battle - the Franco-Spanish, it was a joint fleet and the English fleet.
The battle was named Trafalgar. Although England's victory was unconditional, it did not lose a single ship, but it was in this battle that Horatio Nelson died.
TRAFALGAR is the correct answer.
The correct answer to the question is TRAFALGAR (10 letters)
Twenty-first October 1805 at trafalgar there was a battle in which British fleet just destroyed Spanish fleets, this battle was called Trafalgar
The correct answer to this question is TRAFALGAR.
A historical naval battle took place on this cape, which is called the Battle of Trafalgar. The battle was between the Franco-Spanish and English fleets. To the surprise of the enemy, Britain did not lose a single ship in this battle, but Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson died. After this battle, Napoleon did not attack England again.
The question is about the famous battle of the 19th century, when two fleets met at sea: the English and the united Franco-Spanish.
The battle took place on October 21, 1805 at Cape Trafalgar, which is why this battle went down in history as Trafalgar.
According to some sources, the allies Spain and France lost 18 ships in the battle, while according to others the number increases to 22. England did not lose a single warship. But Foggy Albion still received significant damage, because the famous admiral Horatio Nelson died in the battle.
TRAFALGAR is the correct answer to this question.
And this battle took place at Cape Trafalgar. This cape is of Arab origin and is located on the Spanish coast. This battle is sometimes also called the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In general, the correct answer is TRAFALGAR.
This famous battle is called TRAFALGAR.
The battle really became famous, since the losses were really different for these countries, and the consequences were severe. England was finally able to fight off France.
Since the question provided a sufficient amount of information, the answer to it was found very quickly - the battle, the place of which must be guessed, is inextricably linked with the name of Admiral Nelson, whose monument is erected in Trafalgar Square in London - in 1805, the English fleet under the command of Nelson won valiant victory in the naval battle off the Cape Trafalgar.
