Order of battle at the Battle of Trafalgar facts for kids

The Battle of Trafalgar was a huge naval battle fought on October 21, 1805. It was a clash between the British fleet and the combined fleets of France and Spain. The British had 27 large warships called ships of the line, while the French and Spanish had 33.

Both sides arranged their ships in columns. The British ships sailed side-by-side in two columns, while the allied French and Spanish ships followed each other in a single line. Understanding how these sailing ships moved, especially with the wind, is key to understanding the battle. The wind direction was super important for how the ships could move and fight.

Even though there was a plan, real battles often change quickly. Ship commanders had to be ready to react to what was happening. The "sailing order" and "battle order" were just plans. Ships were given numbers in a column, like "Number 1" at the front. The battle order was about where each ship was supposed to be during the attack.

Admiral Nelson would change his fleet's order to fit the moment. Bad weather could make it hard for commanders to control their ships. Nelson's fleet wasn't always the same; ships joined or left for repairs. For example, HMS Superb was being fixed and couldn't join the battle in time. The number of sailors on each ship also changed. Modern historians have worked hard to figure out the exact numbers of ships and casualties (people killed or wounded), and their estimates are usually very close.

Understanding the Battle: How Sailing Ships Fought

How Wind and Sails Affect Ships

The combined French and Spanish fleet left Cadiz harbor and sailed south. They used the north-westerly wind, which pushed them along. This wind also created waves that hit the ships from the side, making them roll. This made it hard for their cannons to aim steadily. Ships had to stay in a certain order to avoid blocking each other's wind or crashing.

The Santisima Trinidad, a massive Spanish ship with 136 cannons, sailing with all its sails up. You can tell the wind direction by the flag and the curve of the sails.

The same wind that pushed the French and Spanish south was bringing the British north. A ship's sail works like an airplane wing. It curves to create a sideways push, allowing the ship to sail even somewhat against the wind. A deep part of the ship called a keel stops it from sliding sideways. Sails work best when the wind hits them at certain angles. Sailors adjust the sails using ropes called "sheets" to catch the wind just right. This is called "close-hauled" sailing. If the sails aren't set correctly, they just flap around uselessly.

A ship with square sails couldn't sail directly into the wind or too close to it. If the wind came from the north, the closest it could sail was east-north-east or west-north-west. To change direction against the wind, a ship would "tack," zig-zagging back and forth. However, this was very slow and risky for large ships. The most common way to turn around was "wearing," which involved turning the ship away from the wind. This was less risky and faster for big warships.

Sailing directly with the wind behind the ship or directly on its side was also difficult. The sails wouldn't fill properly. The wind needed to come from a slight angle to make the sails work well. If the wind was too strong, sailors had to make the sails smaller, a process called "reefing." In a storm, ships had to sail either almost into the wind or with the wind directly behind them to avoid being hit sideways by huge waves, which could be very dangerous. The side of the ship facing the wind was called the "weather" side, and the side away from the wind was the "lee" side.

Wind was everything for a sailing ship. Without it, a ship couldn't move. While steamships have more freedom, sailing captains had to be very skilled at using the wind to get where they needed to go.

Nelson's Smart Battle Plan

Nelson's battle plan was written down in a special note to his captains. It was signed "Nelson and Bronte" and dated October 9, 1805, just 12 days before the battle. Nelson's fleet was waiting near Cadiz, a heavily defended Spanish harbor, for the French and Spanish fleets to leave. Nelson knew it was too dangerous to attack a harbor directly. He kept his fleet hidden, out of sight and reach.

Sailing ships were slow and depended on the wind and waves. To get the most firepower, a fleet of ships would usually line up side-by-side, facing the enemy. This is why big warships were called "ships-of-the-line." But setting up such a line could take too much time, and the enemy might escape. So, Nelson had a different idea.

To win decisively, Nelson planned to attack the enemy line directly as soon as he saw them. This wasn't the usual way to fight, but it wasn't completely new either. He had discussed this plan with one of his favorite captains, Richard Goodwin Keats, weeks earlier. The downside was that only the front ships of the attacking column could fight at first. Nelson's 27 ships would attack in two columns. If they broke through the enemy line, they could then fight the enemy ships one by one.

Nelson's main order was to "attack the enemy, and keep fighting until they are captured or destroyed." He told his captains that if their ships got separated in the chaos, the best thing to do was to pull up next to an enemy ship and fight it directly.

Once the enemy was spotted, the British fleet would form two columns. These columns would sail with the wind coming from one side, either the "weather" (upwind) column or the "lee" (downwind) column. Nelson would lead the weather column, and his second-in-command would lead the other. The second-in-command could act on his own. Nelson didn't know which side would be the weather side until they were close to the enemy.

Nelson thought that if they saw the enemy fleet upwind, it would be spread out. This would mean the front of the enemy line couldn't easily help the ships behind it. His column would either be able to reach the enemy or not. If not, they would have to turn around and try again, which would turn the battle into a chase.

If they could reach the enemy, they would turn towards the enemy column. The lee column would aim for the enemy's rear (back). They would try to break through at the 12th ship from the end. Meanwhile, Nelson's weather column would aim for the center of the enemy line. Nelson hoped to destroy the enemy's rear ships before their front ships could turn around and join the fight. They also hoped to capture the French commander, Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, who they thought would be in the center. If the enemy's front tried to rescue their ships, the British fleet would block them and defeat them too.

If the enemy fleet was seen downwind, off the starboard (right) side, the British would be in a very strong position. They could easily sail downwind to the enemy and attack wherever they wanted. Nelson believed the enemy line would be moving in a certain way, allowing his lee column to follow the same plan: turn to starboard and break through at the 12th ship from the end.

In the actual battle, the enemy did appear downwind. However, they were sailing in a different direction than Nelson expected. This meant Nelson's weather column ended up attacking their rear. But the direct attack on the center and the idea of having two columns still worked, leading to a great British victory.

How the Plan Met the Real Battle

The French and Spanish ships were stuck in Cadiz Harbor, protected by powerful cannons on shore. Nelson briefly considered using new rockets to set the enemy ships on fire in the harbor. But this was exactly what the French commander, Villeneuve, wanted! He thought the combined fire from shore and ships would be the best way to defeat Nelson. So, Villeneuve waited, hoping Nelson would attack rashly.

Nelson kept track of the enemy using a secret line of spy ships. The enemy only saw the first spy ship far away. That ship would send signals to another, and so on, all the way back to Nelson, wherever he was.

Meanwhile, Napoleon, the leader of France, was getting impatient. He couldn't wait forever to invade Britain. He had turned his attention to fighting on land in Austria and Italy. He ordered Villeneuve to sail out of Cadiz immediately and head for the Mediterranean Sea.

However, Napoleon wasn't an expert in naval matters. He thought a fleet of 40 large ships could leave port instantly. But it takes a very long time for so many ships to get out of a harbor, even in good weather. And they couldn't leave without favorable winds. If the winds were tricky, it would be even slower, and if the winds were against them, it would be impossible.

British Fleet at Trafalgar

The table below shows the British ships and their positions just before the battle. HMS Africa was a bit separated to the north because of the weather and a missed signal during the night. It was supposed to be near the back of the lee column. The other warships were split into two columns: the weather column (north) and the lee column (south). The enemy line had been sailing from north to south. But as the battle began, they turned around, hoping to attack Nelson. The order of British ships in the table shows their position at that moment. Before the fight, they were in a single line. After the battle started, ships moved to get the best firing positions.

The British fleet had 33 warships, with 27 of them being "ships of the line." Smaller ships and frigates (which had been watching Cadiz) helped the fleet by sending messages and towing damaged ships, but they didn't fight directly. After Nelson was killed, Collingwood took command and moved to a different ship because his own ship, the Royal Sovereign, was badly damaged.

British fleet

Ship	Type	Guns	Fleet	Const- ruction	Commanded by	Crew Size	Casualties
							Killed	Wounded	Total	%
Attacking the Head of the French-Spanish Fleet
Africa	2-decker	64			Capt Henry Digby	498	8	44	52	10%
Weather column
Victory	3-decker	104			Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson  † Capt Thomas Masterman Hardy	821 nominal 850	57	102	159	19%
Téméraire	3-decker	98			Capt Eliab Harvey	718 nominal 750	47	76	123	17%
Neptune	3-decker	98			Capt Thomas Francis Fremantle	741	10	34	44	6%
Leviathan	2-decker	74			Capt Henry William Bayntun	623	4	22	26	4%
Conqueror	2-decker	74			Capt Israel Pellew	573	3	9	12	2%
Britannia	3-decker	100			Rear-Admiral The Rt Hon. Earl of Northesk Capt Charles Bullen	854	10	42	52	6%
Agamemnon	2-decker	64			Capt Sir Edward Berry	498	2	8	10	2%
Ajax	2-decker	74			Lieut John Pilford (acting captain)	702	2	10	12	2%
Orion	2-decker	74			Capt Edward Codrington	541	1	23	24	4%
Minotaur	2-decker	74			Capt Charles John Moore Mansfield	625	3	22	25	4%
Spartiate	2-decker	74			Capt Sir Francis Laforey	620	3	22	25	4%
Lee column
Royal Sovereign	3-decker	100			Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood Capt Edward Rotheram	826	47	94	141	17%
Belleisle.	2-decker	74			Capt William Hargood	728	33	94	127	17%
Mars	2-decker	74			Capt George Duff  † Lieut William Hennah	615	27	71	98	16%
Tonnant	2-decker	80			Capt Charles Tyler	688	26	50	76	11%
Bellerophon	2-decker	74			Capt John Cooke  † Lieut William Pryce Cumby	522	28	127	155	30%
Colossus	2-decker	74			Capt James Nicoll Morris	571	40	160	200	35%
Achille	2-decker	74			Capt Richard King	619	13	59	72	12%
Revenge	2-decker	74			Capt Robert Moorsom	598	28	51	79	13%
Polyphemus	2-decker	64			Capt Robert Redmill	484	2	4	6	1%
Swiftsure	2-decker	74			Capt William Gordon Rutherfurd	570	9	8	17	3%
Dreadnought	3-decker	98			Capt John Conn	725	7	26	33	5%
Defiance	2-decker	74			Capt Philip Charles Durham	577	17	53	70	12%
Thunderer	2-decker	74			Lieut John Stockham (acting captain)	611	4	12	16	3%
Defence	2-decker	74			Capt George Hope	599	7	29	36	6%
Prince	3-decker	98			Capt Richard Grindall	735	0	0	0	0%
Attached
Euryalus	Frigate	36			Capt Hon Henry Blackwood	262	0	0	0	0%
Naiad	Frigate	38			Capt Thomas Dundas	333	0	0	0	0%
Phoebe	Frigate	36			Capt Hon Thomas Bladen Capel	256	0	0	0	0%
Sirius	Frigate	36			Capt William Prowse	273	0	0	0	0%
Pickle	Schooner	8			Lieut John Richards La Penotière	42	0	0	0	0%
Entreprenante	Cutter	10			Lieut Robert Benjamin Young	41	0	0	0	0%

French and Spanish Fleet at Trafalgar

Just before the battle, the French and Spanish ships had been sailing from north to south. After they turned around, the front of their line became the back. During the battle, their single line broke into many smaller groups and individual ships. The combined fleet had 40 vessels in total, with 18 French and 15 Spanish ships of the line.

Ships of the French-Spanish fleet

Ship	Type	Guns	Fleet	Const- ruction	Commanded by	Crew Size	Casualties				Fate	Killed in wreck
							Killed	Wounded	Total	%
Neptuno	2-decker	80			Capt Don H. Cayetano Valdés y Flores	800	37	47	84	11%	Captured 21 Oct Recaptured 23 Oct Foundered 23 Oct	few
Scipion	2-decker	74			Capt Charles Berrenger	755	17	22	39	5%	Escaped Captured 4 Nov
Rayo	3-decker	100			Commodore Don Enrique MacDonnell	830	4	14	18	2%	Escaped Surrendered 23 Oct (to HMS Donegal) Foundered 26 Oct	many
Formidable	2-decker	80			Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir Le Pelley Capt Jean-Marie Letellier	840	22	45	67	8%	Escaped Captured 4 Nov
Duguay-Trouin	2-decker	74			Capt Claude Touffet	755	20	24	44	6%	Escaped Captured 4 Nov
Mont Blanc	2-decker	74			Capt Guillaume-Jean-Noël de Lavillegris	755	20	20	40	5%	Escaped Captured 4 Nov
San Francisco de Asis	2-decker	74			Capt Don Luis Antonio Flórez	657	5	12	17	3%	Escaped, wrecked 23 Oct	none
San Agustin	2-decker	74			Capt Don Felipe Jado Cagigal	711	181	201	382	54%	Captured 21 Oct Abandoned and burnt 28 Oct
Héros	2-decker	74			Cmdr Jean-Baptiste-Joseph-René Poulain (DOW)	690	12	24	36	5%	Escaped
Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad	4-decker	136			Rear-Admiral Báltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros Capt Don Francisco Javier de Uriarte y Borja	1048	216	116	332	32%	Captured 21 Oct Foundered 23 Oct	few
Bucentaure	2-decker	80			Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve Capt Jean-Jacques Magendie	888	197	85	282	32%	Captured 21 Oct Recaptured 23 Oct Wrecked 23 Oct	400 on Indomptable
Neptune	2-decker	80			Commodore Esprit-Tranquille Maistral	888	15	39	54	6%	Escaped
Redoutable	2-decker	74			Capt Jean Jacques Etienne Lucas	643 (nominal 550-600)	300	222	522	81%	Captured 21 Oct Foundered 23 Oct	many 172 ?
San Leandro	2-decker	64			Capt Don José Quevedo	606	8	22	30	5%	Escaped
San Justo	2-decker	74			Capt Don Miguel María Gastón de Iriarte	694	0	7	7	1%	Escaped
Santa Ana	3-decker	112			Vice-Admiral Ignacio María de Álava y Navarrete Capt Don José de Gardoqui	1189 1053 nominal	95	137	232	20%	Captured 21 Oct Recaptured 23 Oct
Indomptable	2-decker	80			Capt Jean Joseph Hubert  †	887	20	30	50	6%	Escaped Wrecked 24 Oct>	657
Fougueux	2-decker	74			Capt Louis Alexis Baudoin  †	755	60	75	135	18%	Captured 21 Oct Wrecked 22 Oct	502 (84% casualties)
Intrépide	2-decker	74			Capt Louis-Antoine-Cyprien Infernet	745	80	162	242	32%	Captured 21 Oct Evacuated, blown up 24 Oct
Monarca	2-decker	74			Capt Don Teodoro de Argumosa	667	101	154	255	38%	Captured 21 Oct Burnt 26 Oct
Pluton	2-decker	74			Commodore Julien Cosmao-Kerjulien	755	60	132	192	25%	Escaped
Bahama	2-decker	74			Commodore Don Dionisio Alcalá Galiano  †	690	75	66	141	20%	Captured 21 Oct
Aigle	2-decker	74			Capt Pierre-Paulin Gourrège  †	755	70	100	170	23%	Captured 21 Oct Wrecked 23 Oct	330
Montañés	2-decker	74			Capt Don Francisco Alsedo y Bustamante	715	20	29	49	7%	Escaped
Algésiras	2-decker	74			Rear-Admiral Charles-René Magon de Médine  † Cmdr Laurent Tourneur	755	77	142	219	29%	Captured 21 Oct Recaptured 23 Oct
Argonauta	2-decker	80			Capt Don Antonio Pareja (WIA)	798	100	203	303	38%	Captured, scuttled 21 Oct
Swiftsure	2-decker	74			Capt Charles-Eusèbe Lhospitalier de la Villemadrin	755	68	123	191	25%	Captured 21 Oct
Argonaute	2-decker	74			Capt Jacques Épron-Desjardins	755	55	132	187	25%	Escaped
San Ildefonso	2-decker	74			Capt Don Jose Ramón de Vargas y Varáez	716	34	148	182	25%	Captured 21 Oct
Achille	2-decker	74			Capt Louis-Gabriel Deniéport  †	755	480	?	480	64%	Surrendered, blew up 21 Oct
Principe de Asturias	3-decker	112			Admiral Don Federico Carlos Gravina (DOW) Rear-admiral Don Antonio de Escaño Commodore Don Ángel Rafael de Hore	1113	54	109	163	15%	Escaped
Berwick	2-decker	74			Capt Jean-Gilles Filhol de Camas  †	755	75	125	200	26%	Captured 21 Oct Foundered 22 Oct	622
San Juan Nepomuceno	2-decker	74			Commodore Don Cosmé Damián Churruca y Elorza  †	693	103	151	254	37%	Captured 21 Oct
Attached
Cornélie	Frigate	40			Capt André-Jules-François de Martineng	?	0	0	0	0%	Escaped
Hermione	Frigate	40			Capt Jean-Michel Mahé	?	0	0	0	0%	Escaped
Hortense	Frigate	40			Capt Louis-Charles-Auguste Delamarre de Lamellerie	?	0	0	0	0%	Escaped
Rhin	Frigate	40			Capt Michel Chesneau	?	0	0	0	0%	Escaped
Thémis	Frigate	40			Capt Nicolas-Joseph-Pierre Jugan	?	0	0	0	0%	Escaped
Furet	Brig	18			Lieut Pierre-Antoine-Toussaint Dumay	130	0	0	0	0%	Escaped
Argus	Brig	16			Lieut Yves-Francois Taillard	110	0	0	0	0%	Escaped

Battle Casualties: Who Was Lost?

This section shows a graph of how many people were hurt or killed on each ship during the Battle of Trafalgar. Remember, these numbers are for the main battle on the first day. Casualties kept happening in the weeks after the battle, as storms hit and some captured enemy crews tried to take back their ships.

The graph shows three columns of ships and one separate ship (the Africa). The horizontal line shows the order of ships in their columns. The vertical line shows the percentage of crew members who were killed, wounded, or went missing and were presumed drowned. For example, on Nelson's ship, the Victory, about 19% of the crew were casualties.

Casualties by Ship.
Yellow = HMS Africa
Green = British Weather Column, led by Nelson
Grey = British Lee Column, led by Collingwood
The number is the order in the column.
Blue = French
Red = Spanish. The number is the order in the line. Data for this chart are from the above table.