Trafalgar: Beginning and End

After a lengthy exchange 'below deck' I thought it fitting to offer a final tribute to N. Pocock's work and The Battle of Trafalgar.

As Nicolas Pocock (1740–1821) was commissioned in large part by Naval commanders involved in battle (Admiral Lord Hood) we can be reasonably assured this view is quite accurate, "...referring to his annotated drawings and sketch plans..." of that day. While Pocock was a merchant sea captain, I don't know if he participated in or observed the battle itself as he would have been 65 years old at the time. Truly this is a story understood in pictures. Accompanying text is provided by the British National Maritime Museum at Greenwich. (http://www.nmm.ac.uk/mag/pages/mnuExplore/
PaintingDetail.cfm?ID=BHC0548)

'The Battle of Trafalgar: Beginning of the Action'
N. Pocock, 1805 (870mm x 1184mm x 75mm)

"The British fleet was in two parallel lines, the left-hand or windward column being led by Nelson in the 'Victory', the right-hand or leeward one by Collingwood in the 'Royal Sovereign', 100 guns. Both lines intercepted the enemy at an angle from slightly astern of their beam, Collingwood engaging about one-third from the rear of the enemy line and Nelson just ahead of the centre."

"This painting is a bird's eye view from the north-east and shows the Franco-Spanish line being broken in two places. The division in the distance was led by Collingwood, and that in the foreground by Nelson in the 'Victory'. In the right foreground are the Allied fleet's van ships, the Spanish 'Neptuno', 80 guns, on the extreme right, half out of the picture.... Almost in the centre the 'Victory' rakes Admiral Villeneuve's flagship 'Bucentaure', 80 guns, from astern as she breaks from right to left through the Franco-Spanish line at the head of Nelson's division. Astern of the 'Victory', Nelson's line streams out to the right, in port-bow view. Accompanying it and nearer to the viewer are various British ships, including the frigate 'Euralyus', 36 guns.... The British ship, 'Africa', 64 guns, is shown in port-quarter view, sailing to join the line. Beyond the 'Victory' are the rest of the Allied fleet, some of them in action with the 'Royal Sovereign', together with the leading ships of the British line. In the left foreground are three French cruisers in starboard-bow view; the 'Cornelie', 40 guns, 'Furet', 18 guns and 'Hortense', 40 guns."

'The Battle of Trafalgar: End of the Action'
N. Pocock, 1807 (870mm x 1180mm x 75mm)

"This painting shows the two fleets at the end of the action at about 5.00pm and is a bird's eye view from the south-east. In the foreground the most shattered of the British ships lie with their prizes. Beyond, the remaining ten enemy ships are making their escape. In the left foreground is the British 'Tonnant', 80 guns, in port-bow view, her topmast shot away, and astern of her the British 'Defiance', 74 guns, in port-bow view, having lost her main and mizzen topmasts. To the right of her is the French 'L'Intrepide', 74 guns, with her fore and mizzen topmast gone. In the middle of the foreground is the British 'Bellerophon', 74 guns, in port-bow view, her main and mizzen topmasts gone. Just astern of her, in port-quarter view, is the captured Spanish ship 'Monarca', 74 guns. In the right foreground is the captured Spanish 'Bahama', 74 guns, in starboard-quarter view, with the British 'Mars', 74 guns, beyond her and starboard broadside across her bows. In the extreme right, in starboard-quarter view and half out of the picture is the British 'Conqueror', 74 guns. In the middle distance, left to right and bow on, the French 'Achille', 74 guns, is burning. There is also a group of three British ships; the nearest is the 'Sirius', 36 guns, in starboard-quarter view, while beyond her is the 'Prince', 98 guns, also in starboard-quarter view and the schooner 'Pickle', 10 guns, in port-broadside view. To the right of these and nearer the viewer are two three-deckers, in starboard-quarter view, the left hand one being the dismasted Spanish 'Santa Ana', 112 guns, and the other Collingwood's 'Royal Sovereign' with only her foremasts standing. To the right of these, in port-bow view, is a cluster of three ships all more or less dismasted. Left to right, these are the French 'Fougeux', 74 guns, the British 'Temeraire', 98 guns, and French 'Redoubtable', 74 guns. Both the French ships have been captured."

"Beyond this last group is the 'Victory 'with only her foremasts standing, in starboard quarter view and almost masking Villeneuve's flagship 'Bucentaure', also in starboard-quarter view. In the right and beyond these two are the captured 'Santisima Trinidad', 140 guns, and the British 'Neptune', 98 guns, in starboard-quarter and stern view. On the right of the picture is a crowd of ships mostly under way. The nearest is the dismasted Spanish 'San Augustin', 74 guns, alongside the British 'Leviathan', 74 guns, which is firing a starboard gun, and the French 'Intrepide', 74 guns, escaping to the right with a Spanish ship. Beyond are more British ships to the right."

Now back to the show!