 |
Two hundred years ago one of the most famous battle signals ever was sent out to British fighting men waiting to engage the enemy near Cadiz, in southern Spain. And 200 years to the day, Saga Rose will be at the very spot the signal was raised, to commemorate the bicentenary of this all-important battle.
| |
|
‘England Expects That Every Man Will Do His Duty’ was, of course, the signal raised on the British flagship Victory at Lord Nelson’s request, just before the start of the Battle of Trafalgar.
| |
The most famous engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, the ensuing maritime battle wiped out not only Napoleon’s hopes of invading Britain, but also – and perhaps even more importantly – established naval supremacy for Britain for a century. The battle did, however, lose us one of our most popular heroes: Lord Nelson himself.
| |
In 1805 Napoleon, self-proclaimed emperor and victor over most of the rest of Europe, turned his eyes on his most formidable opponent – Great Britain. In a scheme uncannily similar to that of another European dictator who was to follow him in the mid-20th century, Napoleon devised an ambitious plan to invade southern England by crossing the Channel in a specially-constructed invasion flotilla.
| |
Napoleon tried to concentrate his battle fleets in the mouth of the Channel, in a bid to overwhelm the British defenders, but his force was consistently harried by the British navy so the plan came to nothing, and the combined French and Spanish fleets were forced to take shelter in the southern Spanish port of Cadiz.
| |
Napoleon decided instead to use his huge army to invade Austria, ordering the combined fleet to sail into the Mediterranean to support the Austrian campaign. The British naval commander-in-chief, Horatio Nelson, spotted an opportunity to ensure that Napoleon’s invasion fleet was scuppered. The British had a large part of its Navy positioned just outside of Cadiz. Nelson arrived to take charge, from the flagship Victory.
| |
He unveiled a spectacular plan to his naval officers: the ‘Nelson touch’. He intended to use overwhelming force on one part of the enemy’s line, to crush it as quickly as possible. In order to do so, they would have to attack quickly, splitting the enemy’s line into two parts. Half of the British fleet would engage one part of the line, utterly destroying it; the second half of the enemy line would be held at bay by the remaining British force.
| |
They were meant to attack on October 21, 1805. Just after 11 o’clock that morning, Nelson was pacing the deck of the Victory with Captain Henry Blackwood, the captain of the frigate Euryalus. With the enemy under two miles away, Nelson said to Blackwood: “I’ll amuse the Fleet with a signal. Do you think there is one yet wanting?” Blackwood apparently answered that he thought the Fleet understood exactly what they were to do.
| |
But Nelson was already ordering the signalmen to raise the famous words. He asked, originally, for “England confides that every man will do his duty”, but asked the signalman to be quick, adding that he had a further signal to send, calling for “Close Action”.
| |
The signalmen on duty suggested that he substitute the word “expects” for “confides”, for then the signal could be sent more quickly, because the word “expects” was in the flag vocabulary, and “confides” would have to be spelled out. Nelson agreed, and the famous words ran up the mast.
| |
Within minutes, the battle commenced, and went exactly as Nelson had planned, with one British division, under Vice Admiral Collingwood, destroying the rear of the enemy line with superior gunfire. The other half of the British fleet, under Nelson, prevented the unengaged half of the French and Spanish fleet from helping their comrades.
| |
HMS Victory was fighting at close quarters with a French battleship, the Redoutable, just after 1pm. Nelson was pacing the quarterdeck with Captain Thomas Hardy when Nelson was shot. He was an easy target for the French marksmen, as he was wearing full dress uniform, apparently impervious to danger. The admiral was carried below, where the wounded were treated, but died just after hearing that victory was secure. His last words were “Thank God I have done my duty”.
| |
After the battle, his body was first taken ashore at Rosia Bay in Gibraltar, then sent back to England in a barrel full of brandy which acted as a preservative during the long journey. He was finally buried, after a state funeral, in St Paul’s Cathedral. Many of the other battle victims were buried in the Trafalgar Cemetery in Gibraltar, where their graves are still carefully tended. Nelson’s column was erected in Trafalgar Square some 35 years later, in 1840.
| |
Saga Rose will follow the course of the British fleet during this year’s special anniversary cruise, visiting Rosia Bay and the Trafalgar Cemetery at Gibraltar, calling at Palma, the stunning capital of Majorca, as well as Mahon, with its scenic deep-water harbour, on the sister island of Minorca.
| |
The Catalan city of Barcelona, with its Gaudí architecture and lively nightlife; Toulon, the French harbour which Nelson blockaded, preventing Napoleon’s fleet from leaving; and Cadiz itself, are all ports of call on this special cruise, which will have guest lecturers on board explaining the historic interest of the various destinations.
| |
For details of the 15-night Trafalgar Anniversary Cruise sailing on October 9 aboard Saga Rose, please click here.
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
