At 4.40 pm one of "Victory"s boats, carrying Captain Henry Blackwood and Lieutenant Hill, came alongside and Blackwood reported Nelson's death to Collingwood. This left Collingwood in command of the fleet, and with a storm rising, and disregarding Nelson's final order to bring the fleet to anchor, Collingwood ordered Blackwood to hoist the signal to all ships to come to the wind on the starboard tack, and to take disabled and captured ships in tow. "Royal Sovereign" was by now almost or totally unmanageable and virtually uninhabitable. As she had most of her masts shot away she could not make signals. Having his ship too much disabled by enemy fire at just before of 6 pm Collingwood, who had succeeded Nelson in command of the fleet had to transfer himself and his flag to the frigate "Euryalus", while "Euryalus" sent a cable across and took "Royal Sovereign" in tow for second time. At the end of the action Collingwood signalled from the frigate to the rest of the fleet to prepare to anchor. took over the tow on 22 October, and was replaced by on 23 October.