On 21 October, Britain will celebrate Lord Horatio Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.
The naval engagement involving the British Royal Navy and the combined French and Spanish fleets during the Napoleonic Wars took place west of Cape Trafalgar in Spain, between Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar, in 1805. Although Lord Nelson was killed on the decks of his flagship HMS Victory that fateful afternoon, his ship left the Spanish coast victorious, returning to Britain with the Admiral’s body preserved in a barrel of brandy.
Whilst the Battle of Trafalgar is associated more with Spain, Lord Nelson was no stranger to the then Kingdom of Portugal for it was these shores that brought him to such prominence. Nelson was very familiar with the imposing sight of Cape St. Vincent and the rugged shores of Sagres Point on the western Algarve coast, having passed them many times on his voyages. And it was a battle on this very cape which would etch Nelson’s name in the history books.
The Battle of Cape St. Vincent occurred on 14 February 1797 when a fleet of 15 British Royal Navy ships attacked 27 Spanish frigates. Acting without orders, the commander of the British frigate HMS Captain broke from the line and put his ship across the bows of the Spaniards to prevent them from escaping. This action showed such excellent judgement, courage and initiative on the part of the young commander of HMS Captain that, within days of this important victory, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. The commander’s name was none other than Horatio Nelson.
Following the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, and now Viscount Nelson of the Nile, he again sailed past Cape St. Vincent on his way to Cadiz and then on to Cape Trafalgar in September 1805 to engage in one of Britain’s most famous battles. Nobody but his maker knew this would be the last time Nelson would see the very cape that cemented his status as one of the most decorated seafarers in British naval history. On the 219th anniversary of his death, we can only end with Lord Horatio Nelson’s alleged last words “kiss me Hardy”.
Trivia
Horatio Nelson was born on 29 September 1758 in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, England. His father, Edmund, was a clergyman and his mother, Catherine, died when Nelson was only nine years old. He first went to sea at 12 years old, marking the start of his heroic naval career.Ironically, just six weeks before the Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson spent half his annual salary on 375 gallons of port wine, costing him £308, approximately €26,365 in today’s money. Sadly he did not live to enjoy it.
