Battle of Trafalgar

Trafalgar, fought 21 October 1805 off Cape Trafalgar in southwest Spain, was Vice-Admiral Nelson’s decisive victory over the combined Franco-Spanish fleet under Villeneuve. Attacking in two columns that cut the enemy line, the Royal Navy captured or destroyed about two-thirds of the allied fleet without losing a ship, though Nelson was killed by a musket shot aboard HMS Victory. The action confirmed British naval supremacy for a century and ended Napoleon’s hopes of invading Britain. Victory is preserved at Portsmouth.