Archives - History: Page 24
Author: amparo enriquez (Thu Nov 10, 2005 3:14 am)
Title: A naval battle worth dying for: Trafalgar
A naval battle worth dying for: Trafalgar
Recently on the past month of October 2005 England celebrated the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar.
During the Napoleonic wars the victory of the British fleet commanded by admiral Horatio Nelson over a combined French and Spanish fleet, in the battle of Trafalgar, laid the foundation for British naval supremacy throughout the 19th century. It is named after Cape Trafalgar a low headland in SW Spain near the western entrance to the straits of Gibraltar. During the battle Nelson was mortally wounded. The British fleet consisted of 27 ships and the Franco-Spanish fleet consisted of 33 ships.
The battle commenced at about at about 12 noon and at 1:30 pm Nelson was mortally wounded by a musket shot. By 3 pm the battle was over and the surviving French and Spanish ships were concentrating on escape. Of their number 15 had been sunk and of the 18 which escaped 2 were wrecked and 4 taken by a British squadron. The British lost no ships and sustained casualties of 449 killed and 1,242 wounded, French and Spanish casualties amounted to 14,000.