Conflict: War of the Third Coalition
Combatants: British v. French/Spanish
Location: North Atlantic
Outcome: British victory
British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson intercepted a Franco-Spanish fleet of 33 ships, under the command of French Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve, en route to Cadiz off Cape Trafalgar. Nelson first cut the ships of the two allies in half, then in a 5-hour battle managed to capture 18 enemy vessels. The French and Spanish lost as many as 7,000 killed and another 7,000 taken prisoner. The British lost no ships, but 1500 sailors were killed and Nelson himself was mortally wounded.
Points of Interest:
The defeat at Trafalgar effectively ended the power of the French Navy. The British Navy would rule the sea throughout most of the 19th century.
The Spanish Admiral Duque Federico de Gravina was also killed in the battle.
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Sources:
Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).
Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.
Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
Haythornthwaite, Philip J. (1990). The Napoleonic Source Book. New York: Facts on File.
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