Battle of Trafalgar Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement fought by the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies, during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1796–1815). Twenty-seven British ships of the line led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard defeated thirty-three French and Spanish ships of the line under French Admiral Villeneuve. The battle took place in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwest coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar, near the town of Los Caños de Meca. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost
Order of battle at the Battle of Trafalgar are listed in sailing order. The British fleet during the battle consisted of 33 warships, 27 of which were ships of the line. During the battle the frigates and smaller vessels acted in support, but did not engage the enemy. The following listing shows the French and Spanish ships of the line by order of sailing from north to south. The combined fleet consisted of 41 ships with 18 French ships of the line and 15 Spanish ships of the line. Order of battle at the Battle of Trafalgar This is a listing of the fleets that participated in the