Battle of Trafalgar Lord Viscount Horatio Nelsons Coat

Battle of Trafalgar Lord Viscount Horatio Nelson’s Coat of Arms Colin Schunker Admiral Villeneuve The Battle of Trafalgar 1

Call to Arms! ENGLAND EXPECTS DO HIS THAT EVERY MAN WILL D U T Y The Battle of Trafalgar 2

Other Signals TELEGRAPH FLAG (Hoisted with the earlier signal) ENGAGE THE ENEMY MORE CLOSELY Note: This signal was not hoisted until after Nelsons Signal was taken down. The Battle of Trafalgar 3

Nelsons Legacy Britannia Rules the Waves! The Battle of Trafalgar 4

Nelsons Legacy Memorials to Lord Nelson The Battle of Trafalgar 5

Nelsons True Legacy! More Memorials to Lord Nelson The Battle of Trafalgar 6

Historical Overview Nearly 200 years after it was fought, the battle of Trafalgar is still regarded as one of history’s most decisive naval battles. In the early summer of 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte decided to invade England. The British knew that the only way to stop Napoleon’s plan was by defeating the French in a naval battle. The French had teamed up with the Spanish fleet to increase their chances of defeating the British. The Battle of Trafalgar 7

Historical Overview Admiral Nelson, on board HMS Victory was in command of the British fleet. His French counterpart Vice Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve, commanded the Franco. Spanish fleet. The British had blockaded the French and Spanish ports effectively immobilizing the French and Spanish fleets Napoleon knew that to invade England meant controlling the seas and gave orders for the fleets in Brest, Toulon and Ferrol to break out After an aborted attempt Villeneuve managed to evade Nelson and sailed for the West Indies The Battle of Trafalgar 8

The British Blockade French British Bolougne ATLANTIC OCEAN Brest Rochefort Ferrol Toulon Cadiz British Blockading Fleet The Battle of Trafalgar 9

The Chase ATLANTIC OCEAN NORTH AMERICA Bermuda Villeneuve Arrives Martinique 16 th May Departs 10 th June Villeneuve escapes Toulon Villeneuve Departs Cadiz 30 th March EUROPE 9 th April for the West Toulon Ferrol Indies Azores Cadiz Trafalgar Nelson Departs Cadiz on 10 th Canary Islands Nelson sets off in May in pursuit of Villeneuve pursuit - mistakenly Nelson Arrives Martinique 4 th June towards Egypt. Departs 13 th June AFRICA Cape Verde Martinique SOUTH AMERICA Villeneuve Nelson The Battle of Trafalgar 10

The Final Blockade Cape St. Vincent Combined French & Spanish Fleets Nelson arrived off Cadiz to join Collingwood Communication chain of Ships Nelson’s frigates watched while he cruised off shore in an attempt to draw the Combined Fleet In response to a threat from landward Napoleon ordered Villeneuve to sail into the Mediterranean to support operations Main body of Nelson’s Fleet The Frigates Cadiz Cape Trafalgar Straits of Gibraltar The impending battle was looming The Battle of Trafalgar 11

Battle Plan and Tactics Opposing fleets usually sailed into battle in line ahead in two parallel lines. Each ship would then take on one of the opposing ships. Broadsides would be fired between the combatants. The battle was won or lost dependent on the skill of the gunners or when they struck their colors or the opposing fleet just sailed away from the battle. These tactics seldom resulted in a decisive victory for either side although casualties were high. Nelson broke from tradition and broke his fleet into three groups. The Battle of Trafalgar 12

Nelson’s Touch Nelson expected to be outnumbered 46 ships to 40 Nelson summonsed his captains and outlined his plan; they were pleased with the innovative plan The plan was to divide the British fleet into three separate lines Two major lines of 16 ships each An advanced squadron of eight The two 16 ship units were to divide the enemy line in half, thus concentrating 32 British versus 23 enemy ships. The other 8 British ships were to engage in a separate battle with the other half of the enemy line One of the two 16 ship units attacked sections of the enemy line the other would attack the enemy at right angles, break through the lines and cut off retreat Dangerous tactics…but they paid off These tactics were to change the course of naval warfare as it was known then The Battle of Trafalgar 13

Breaking The Line Above: British ship crosses battle line of Franco-Spanish fleet. Spic’s WIN D Limey Bastards The Battle of Trafalgar 14

Tactics Nelson’s Raking Tactics Traditional Broadside Tactics The Battle of Trafalgar 15

A Typical Ship of the Line Above: : Example of a triple deck – Ship of the Line. The Battle of Trafalgar 16

A Typical Ship of the Line The Battle of Trafalgar 17

A Typical Ship of the Line HMS VICTORY REDOUTABLE HMS VICTORY Type: 'First rate' ship-of-the-line. The British naval term "first rate" applied to a ship with at least 100 guns. Crew: 820 LE REDOUTABLE Type: 'Third rate', with 74 guns. Smaller than the Victory, her name translates as "formidable, tremendous - with an element of fear". Crew: 634 The Battle of Trafalgar 18

Canon Used at Trafalgar A typical 32 pounder fired a shot just under 6” in diameter and with a full charge of 10 lb 11 oz could make an extreme range of 2000 yds A carronade on the other hand was short barreled with limited range. Being lighter it was mounted on a higher deck Victory’s 2 x 68 pounder carronades were mounted on the fo’c’sle and unleashed a storm of grapeshot into the French flagship Ammunition consisted of roundshot canister grapeshot, bar shot and chain shot, each for a particular purpose The Battle of Trafalgar 19

Firepower • Using 32, 24, 18, 12 pound canons and 68 pound ‘smashers’ capable of firing both shot and grape shot which inflicted serious injuries and considerable damage to ships and men on both sides • An 18 pound shot at 30 yards would penetrate 4 xoak planks 32. 5” thick showering splinters up to 30 yards • A 32 pounder fired with grape shot from 300 yards could penetrate 4” of oak • Muskets with a range of 200 yds were used by both opposing forces mainly by the Marines which inflicted heavy casualties from sharp shooters strategically positioned in the rigging • Cutlass, tomahawks pikes, and pistols (range 30 yds) were the main weapon used by boarding parties • Prepare to repel boarders meant fierce and heavy hand-to-hand fighting which often resulted in horrendous wounds more often than not resulting in a slow agonizing death The Battle of Trafalgar 20

The Commanders Above: Lord Nelson Above: Admiral Pierre Villeneuve The Battle of Trafalgar Above: Admiral Collingwood 21

Prelude to Battle • The Spanish fleet was demoralized at being blockaded for such a long period – inactivity had taken its toll • The Combined fleet sailed with 1700 sick men on board • The Spanish ships were manned mostly by soldiers and beggars pressed ganged from the slums of Cadiz • Spanish gunners had never fired from a rolling ship • Spanish Captains resented being under the command of a French Admiral • Villeneuve did not have the confidence of Napoleon and was to be replaced by Rosily • The British Jack Tars were seasoned campaigners • They were aggressive fighting men by instinct • Ruled by strict discipline from autocratic Captains they were magnificent sailors and excellent gunners • Out numbered and out gunned they were spoiling for a fight. This signal gave them the resolve • “The French and Spanish are out at last, they outnumber us in ships and guns and men: we are on the eve of the greatest sea fight in history. " The Battle of Trafalgar 22

The Opposing Fleets 1200 hrs – 21 st October, 1805 ATLANTIC OCEAN C. Trafalgar French & Spanish Line Collingwood's Column Nelson's Column The Two Columns The Battle of Trafalgar 23

The Opposing Fleets 1200 hrs – 21 st October, 1805 The Battle of Trafalgar 24

The Commencement of Battle The Battle of Trafalgar 25

The Battle There was an impending sense of doom as Nelson believed he would not survive the battle He wrote his Will in anticipation of his death As the Combined Fleet sailed slowly in light winds and although Villeneuve guessed what form Nelsons attack would take he failed to specify any defensive tactics to his captains The Combined Fleet had the Neptuno in the rear and the San Juan de Nepomuceno in the van Villeneuve on the Bucentaure was signaled by the Hermione that the British fleet was in sight and instead of continuing to Gibraltar decided to return to Cadiz The Combined Fleet had to reform the line of battle in the opposite direction The first shot was fired at noon by the Fougueux at the Royal Sovereign who then returned fire 15 minutes later raking the Santa Anna from stem to stern inflicting heavy casualties Nelson in freshly laundered uniform with ribbons and medals then ordered the famous message ENGLAND EXPECTS THAT EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY The Battle of Trafalgar 26

The Battle 1200 hrs – 21 st October, 1805 Neptuno Africa Scipion Intrepide Formidable Duguay - Trouin Frigates Mont-Blanc Rayo San Francisco de Asis San Augustin Heros Santissima Trinidad Weather Column Admiral Nelson Bucentaure Redoubtable San Justo WIN Santa Anna D Neptune San Leandro Fouguex Pluton Indompable Monarca Algersiras Bahama Lee Column Admiral Collingwood Aigle Swiftsure Argonaughte San Ildefonso Achille Principe de Asturias San Juan Nepomuceno Berwick The Battle of Trafalgar Montanes Argonaugta Frog’s Spic’s Limey Bastards 27

Close Quarter Engagement 1300 hrs – 21 st October, 1805 San Francisco de Asis Santissma Trinidad Victory ATLANTIC OCEAN Redoutable Bucentaure Temeraraire Fougueux C. Trafalgar Royal Sovereign Principe de Asturias Pluton Frog’s Spic’s Limey Bastards The Battle of Trafalgar 28

Battle of Trafalgar 1245 hrs – 21 st October, 1805 Close Action Around 1300 hrs Bucentaure Neptune (FR) Neptune (BR) Victory Redoubtable Temeraire The Battle of Trafalgar 29

Battle of Trafalgar 1300 hrs – 21 st October, 1805 Santissma Trinidad Close Action Around 1330 hrs Bucentaure Neptune (BR) Frog’s Victory Spic’s Limey Bastards Neptune (FR) Redoubtable Temeraire The Battle of Trafalgar 30

The Final Blow The battle see sawed all day with individual skirmishes taking place The dying wind and with masts shot away engagement was determined by who drifted by Much bravery was noted on that day The Intrepide was singled out by the British captains for her bravery in the face of overwhelming odds Finally the British ships gained the upper hand with the Combined fleet either striking their colors or sailing away Meanwhile the surgeons were doing their best for Nelson Captain Hardy reported to Nelson that the battle was won Those immortal words were spoken by Nelson “Thank God I have done my duty” He succumbed to his wounds and died at 1630 The Battle of Trafalgar 31

Fatalities and Casualties The speed at which the Royal Navy gun crews loaded and fired was much higher than the Combined fleet a factor in higher casualty figures for the enemy The Battle of Trafalgar 32

Fatalities and Casualties The British lost 449 men killed with 1249 wounded some of whom subsequently died; this translated to just over 25% or 3 wounded for every one killed The Combined Fleet lost 4408 men killed and 2545 wounded or 55%; for every four wounded 5 were killed For those days it was a very high kill rate The Battle of Trafalgar 33

The Fleets British Ships (Guns) Victory (100) Téméraire (98 ) Neptune (98) Conqueror (74) Leviathan (74) Britannia (100) Ajax (74) Orion (74) Agamemnon (64) Minotaur (74) Spartiate (74) Africa (64) Royal Sovereign (100) Belleisle (74) Tonnant (80) Mars (74) Bellerophon (74) Colossus (74) Achilles (74) Revenge (74) Defiance (74) Swiftsure (74) Thunderer (74) Defense (74) Dreadnought (98) Polythemus (64) Prince (98) French Spanish French Ships (Guns) Scipion (74) Formidable (80) Duguay-Trouin (74) Mont-Blanc (74) Intrépide (74 ) Indomptable (80) Fougueux (74) Pluton (74) Héros (74 ) Bucentaure (80) Neptune (80) Redoubtable (74) Aigle (74) Algésiras (74 ) Swift-sure (74) Argonaute (74) Achille (74) Berwick (74) Spanish Ships (Guns) Neptuno (80) Rayo (100) San Francisco de Asis (74) San Augustin (74) Santissima Trinidad (136) San Leandro (64) San Justo (74) Santa Ana (120) Monarca (74) Bahama (74) Montanés (74 ) Argonauta (80) San Ildefonso (74) Principe de Asturias (118) San Juan Nepomuceno (74) The Battle of Trafalgar 34

The Victor of Trafalgar Nelson lost his life in Trafalgar but he won a tremendous victory for England. It is one of history’s turning points which led to British domination of the seas for arguably over 150 years. The HMS Victory remains a commissioned RN vessel to this day. Trafalgar Day is celebrated each year with great pomp and ceremony The Battle of Trafalgar 35

Battle of Trafalgar Thankyou for your attention I will attempt to answer any Questions? ? The Battle of Trafalgar 36