H.M.S. Conqueror towing H.M.S. Africa off the shoals at Trafalgar, three days after the battle

The battle of Trafalgar was arguably the most decisive victory in the long history of war at sea. Undaunted by the fact that he had only twenty-seven ships-of-the-line compared to the thirty-three in the combined Franco-Spanish fleet, Lord Nelson finally brought the enemy to action on 21st October 1805 in a ferocious battle lasting less than three hours. The enemy fleet was shattered by the loss or capture of eighteen of its capital ships and its casualties numbered over 6,000 men killed or wounded, although the glorious victory was overshadowed by the death of Nelson himself, struck down by a sniper’s bullet. As night fell on the fateful day and the battered fleets drew apart, a violent storm blew up just as both sides attempted to make temporary repairs for their homeward journeys. The British made for Gibraltar with their captured prizes, whilst the remnants of the Franco-Spanish fleet made for Cadiz and limped into port with practically every one of their number severely damaged. Several of the eleven survivors had been wholly dismasted and the inhabitants of Cadiz, especially those men employed in the great dockyard, declared that such a motley collection of jury rigs was unprecedented in their experience. Although a few of the ships were eventually repaired, none ever returned to sea thanks to the ruthless effectiveness of the Royal Navy’s post-Trafalgar blockade.

Another version of this painting from a different perspective was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1841 (for which see, D. Villar, John Wilson Carmichael 1799-1869, London, 1995, ill. p. 37).