The Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar pit the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies in October 1805 in the Atlantic Ocean. The naval engagement lasted only five hours but established the Royal Navy's supremacy for over a century. The deadly conflict featured legendary leaders Napoleon Bonaparte and Horatio Nelson along with the greatest warships of their era: the HMS Victory and the Santísima Trinidad. We present a blow-by-blow account of the conflict, from the innovative tactics to the events that unfolded when the guns began firing to the tragic climax that cemented Admiral Nelson's legacy.