Battle of Trafalgar
21st October 1805. Sea battle between the English fleet which fought against the French and Spanish fleet during the War of the Third Coalition (during the Napoleonic Wars). It took place west of Cape Trafalgar. The British fleet headed by Lord Nelson won the decisive sea battle and could thus maintain the naval supremacy for one more century.
The British and Napoleon
In the 19th Century the British were the greatest naval power. This was mainly due to the fact that the French under Napoleon who crowned himself emperor in 1804 attacked British colonies and aspired hegemonic power. The British intended to maintain power over the seas since trade with their colonies was important for the material and financial supply of the country. In 1796 Spain joined the alliance of the French and the Dutch and helped to attack British military bases. The British on the other hand could, due to their elaborate fighting tactics and the ingenious officer of the Royal Navy, Horatio Nelson, win some battles, like the battle of the Nile in 1798. Furthermore,in the 1790s the British Naval power attacked French colonies, above all important bases in the West Indies. It seemed to be the only way to prevent French attacks on British colonies and to strike the French. However, they could not hold the newly gained colonies for a longer time. Yet, the British fleet blockaded some of the ships of the Napoleonic fleet, preventing them from leaving the ports, because that would leave the coast unprotected and vulnerable for enemies. Despite the intent to end hostilities with France by the Peace of Amiens of 1802, war began anew in 1803.
The Battle of Trafalgar
In 1805 Napoleon prepared an invasion of England. In order to be successful in gaining control over the Channel he sent some of his squadrons to the West Indies to join with other French and Spanish fleets. However, only two squadrons, those from Rochefort and Toulon managed to evade the British blockade and sailed to the West Indies. When they came back the squadron from Toulon under the command of Admiral Villeneuve was checked by Vice Admiral Sir Robert Calder and his fleet west of Cape Finisterre. They had to return to Cádiz. Meanwhile, Napoleon had abandoned his plan of invading Britain and turned to Italy in order to fight there against Austria and its allies. Villeneuve then sailed towards the Mediterranean where Nelson was already waiting for him near Cádiz. The French and Spanish fleets consisting of 33 ships had to flee north. Nelson's fleet with 27 ships attacked them on October 21st from the west in two lines. The admiral's chosen tactic, splitting the line of the Franco-Spanish ships into smaller groups proved successful. Villeneuve's fleet did not have the chance to regroup and was beaten by the superior British fleet. Nelson's naval army destroyed or captured nineteen French and Spanish ships whereas the British fleet did not lose any ship. However, Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson lost his life in the battle.
Sources
Black, Jeremy: The British Seaborne Empire. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2004.