Trafalgar Day in United Kingdom 2023: Date, History, Facts about Admiral Nelson

Trafalgar Day is a yearly event celebrated on October 21. It commemorates the Royal Navy’s 1805 victory over the French and Spanish naval forces at the Battle of Trafalgar. After the Battle of Trafalgar, Lord Horatio Nelson became one of the most well-known military heroes in the United Kingdom. Wooden warships with sails and artillery on both sides made up the British fleet he oversaw. It confirmed the superiority of the British Royal Navy and marked the demise of Admiral Horatio Nelson.

The background of Trafalgar Day

France was the dominant military power in 1805, and Napoleon was an outstanding combatant. However, the Royal Navy dominated the seas in Europe. There were 33 line ships, five frigates, and two brigs on the Franco-Spanish front, while the Royal Navy had 27 line ships, four frigates, one schooner, and one cutter. Due to intricate and ineffective tactics, the Franco-Spanish navy under Admiral Pierre Villeneuve lost on the seas. The French and Spanish ships sailed in three columns from Gibraltar to the southeast on October 20, 1805. During the same evening, 18 British line ships were observed pursuing.

On October 20 and 21, Admiral Villeneuve arranged his fleet in a straight line in the Atlantic Ocean near the Spanish coast. The British Navy’s Admiral Horatio Nelson, however, adopted a different approach. The fleet of the Royal Navy approached in a single file before splitting into two lines.
The ships of Admiral Nelson then approached the singular line of ships formed by the French and Spanish forces and divided it into three more manageable portions. A portion of Admiral Villeneuve’s fleet was left alone, while the remaining two were forced into close combat with Royal Navy vessels.

This strategy allowed Royal Navy personnel to engage in expert ship-to-ship combat. Simultaneously, by disrupting the single line of Admiral Villeneuve’s forces, the Royal Navy disrupted straightforward communication between Franco-Spanish ships. During the combat, several British ships were damaged. The H.M.S. Victory, which had assaulted the French flagship Bucentaure and the Redoutable, was among the ships damaged. Admiral Villeneuve surrendered at 13:45 p.m. the same day after Vice-Admiral Nelson captured 18 French ships, compelling him to do so. At 16:30 on October 21, 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar concluded.

5 Interesting Facts About Admiral Nelson

Before the battle, Nelson sent the infamous signal, ‘England expects every combatant to perform his duty.’

A French sharpshooter fatally shot Nelson in the spine while he was standing atop his ship during an engagement with the French ship Redoutable.

After being wounded, Nelson was taken below deck so as not to demoralise his men.

Due to previous injuries, he fought with only one limb and one eye during the battle.

Admiral Collingwood, Nelson’s subordinate, commanded one-half of the fleet while Nelson sailed directly at the French and Spanish lines, attempting to divide them in two.

TRAFALGAR DAY DATES