219 years ago today…
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TrafalgarOctober 21st, 2024 |
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It is also Aberfan Day.
Don’t forget that either.
But if Nelson had lost at Trafalgar, would Napoleon have invaded Britain? And would he have won?
“Never mind maneuvers, just go straight at them.”
Hat tip to Collingwood too, who got the fleet ‘over the line’.
Aberfan was indeed grim, had not the telephone lines been stolen, but most of all, had those placing the slag there been thinking of their personal responsibility, it might never have happened.
Here’s to letting them cross your Tee, and still winning!
“Engage the enemy more closely.”
Nelson knew that victory required complete destruction of the enemy.
After that grim battle, the Royal Navy commanded the seas, more or less, for a century. It was a reason why trade flourished as much as it did; piracy and slave trading was suppressed.
Nelson was arguably the greatest Norfolk man to have ever lived.
A great victory.
I believe the Spanish dispute the battle as a British victory?
Did we really have a ship called “Pickle”? And what is “Africa” doing off to the North?
JP is right. When exactly did the concept of “proportionate response” become a thing?
Stuart, they might as well dispute the orbit of the earth around the sun.
Yes, NickM – HMS Pickle was actually the ship that brought news of the victory at Trafalgar to Britain. She was sent north with dispatches after the battle by Collingwood. She was a privately built schooner that the Navy purchased and she participated in the battle mostly as a support vessel – she helped rescue 200 French sailors from the Achille, a French ship-of-the-line that was destroyed in the battle.
Pickle was also involved in capturing several ships from other forces – an American brig (quite a feat for a schooner), a couple of French sloops and a French privateer brig. For these various feats she’s actually a very well-known ship. Pickle was captained by Lieutenants at the time, being that she was only a small support ship, yet managed an impressive number of captures. The policies of the day, rewarding officers for their daring and their initiative, seems to have been very successful in creating a legendary navy.
HMS Africa arrived late to Trafalgar and her captain did not know the battle plan, which is why she’s separated from the others – she’s sailing in to join the battle.
Further to @Alex’s comment I looked it up. Here is the wikipedia article on HMS Pickle. It is interesting to look at the photo of a replica of the ship. It is a tiny little ship that, were it me, I wouldn’t take out of site of the shore never mind into a major sea battle.
Thanks Alex. HMS Pickle! It just struck me as so many of the other vessels had high falutin’ Greek names and all.
Little-known fact: Pickle was the Greek god of bad food.
Bobby,
I’m calling you on that. Except this. So God knows. I do like pickles though. Primarily because I have Polish relatives and they’ll pickle anything.
I come from a line of people who dried fish filets to the consistency of igneous rock, stored them for years, and then rejuvenated them by soaking them in lye until they turned to fish jelly, and who now celebrate this food in festivals and feasts.
So I probably shouldn’t criticize other people’s foods. 😉
Many Royal Navy ships had very odd names, such as HMS Black Joke for example