Battle at Trafalgar

One of the greatest sea battles ever to occur took place off the Spanish coast of Trafalgar. On October 21,1805 Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson of the English Royal Navy, with twenty-seven ships of the line crushed the combined forces of the French and Spanish fleets. Had the outcome of this great battle been different, Napoleon may have realized his dream of ruling an empire that never saw the setting sun. The purpose of this paper is …

…knew little of naval warfare and should have left the navy alone, allowing the Admirals to act on there on accord. Of the men who fought this battle, years of blockade served to train the English and render the French ineffective at times of engagement. Ships of poor quality and rigging showed a hasty build up of the French fleet. Napoleon, while being the great soldier, had no respect for the needs of efficient fleet.