10.21.1805, at Cape Trafalgar, near the city of Cadiz (Spain), during the war of France against the 3rd anti-French coalition. The British fleet of Admiral G. Nelson defeated the Franco-Spanish fleet of Admiral P. Villeneuve, which ensured the dominance of the British fleet at sea.
Battle of Trafalgar, the largest naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars between the English and Spanish-French fleets, which took place on October 21, 1805 at Cape Trafalgar, near Cadiz (Spain).
Waging a war against England since 1803, Napoleon by the middle of 1805 concentrated his army on the left coast of the English Channel to invade the British Isles. The landing was planned to begin with the approach of the main forces of the French fleet. However, the combined Spanish-French squadron of Admiral P. Villeneuve could not reach the English Channel due to the opposition of the British fleet of Admiral Nelson. An experienced, but lack of initiative, Villeneuve did not dare to give battle, and whenever he met the enemy, he retreated to Spanish ports every time. In September 1805, Nelson blocked him at Cadiz.
Forced to cancel the landing in England, Napoleon ordered his fleet to support the French forces in Italy. On October 20, Villeneuve decided to go to sea after that. how he learned that the emperor had already appointed a successor to him. However, having received information that Nelson was waiting for him at the Strait of Gibraltar, the French admiral turned back.
Nelson gave chase. On October 21 at 5:30, he spotted a Spanish-French squadron heading north. Villeneuve tried to maneuver in unfavorable winds, because of which the formation of his ships was disrupted.
The English fleet acted according to the plan, which Nelson brought to the attention of the captains in advance, giving them considerable freedom to show initiative: "If you do not see the signals in battle or do not understand them, put your ship next to the enemy, you will not be mistaken." The Allies had a numerical advantage (33 ships against 27), but the British sailors outnumbered the enemy in experience and training.
Nelson's squadron in two columns at right angles from the west attacked a line of enemy ships that stretched for almost a mile. The right column (15 ships) under the command of Admiral K. Collingwood was supposed to cut off the Spanish-French rearguard from the main forces and destroy it. The left (12 ships), led by Nelson himself, attacked the enemy center.
At 11 o'clock the first shots rang out. Around 12, the signalmen of Victory, Nelson's flagship, broadcast, "England expects everyone to do their duty."
At 1230 hours Collingwood cut off the Allied rearguard. His "Royal Sovern" significantly outstripped the ships of its line and before their approach, surrounded by an encirclement, fought with superior enemy forces.
At 13 o'clock Nelson wedged between the center and the vanguard of the enemy squadron. The ships of the center, caught between the two English columns, mixed and were forced to take battle, in which the British already had a numerical advantage. The Allied vanguard continued to move north. The ships entering it were able to lie on the opposite course and move to the aid of the main forces only after 15 hours, when the outcome of the battle had already been determined.
Nelson's ship boarded the French Redoubt. The French fiercely resisted, firing rifle fire from the masts on the Victory's deck, and surrendered only after they had lost 80% of the crew. In this battle, Nelson was mortally wounded by a musket bullet. He died at 16:30, having received a report before his death about the complete victory of the English fleet. At 17.30 the battle ended.
The British captured and destroyed 18 enemy ships. The Allies also lost about 7000 people killed, wounded and captured, the British - about 1500. French Admiral C. R. Magon, the commander of the rearguard, was killed in action. The Spanish flagship K. Gravina died of a wound. Villeneuve was taken prisoner, took part in the solemn ceremony of Nelson's funeral, and on his return to France committed suicide without waiting for the verdict of the military court.
In honor of this victory, which finally saved England from the threat of Napoleonic invasion, a column was erected in Trafalgar Square in London in 1867, crowned with a statue of Nelson, which was cast from bronze of French cannons captured at Trafalgar.
