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Victory Breaks the Enemy Line by Geoff Hunt.
Nelsons long-considered plan for dealing with a numerically superior force involved breaking their line in two places with two squadrons, the spearheads of each squadron being his biggest ships. The two squadrons were to attack the enemy line at right-angles, relying on breaking through quickly and then turning to overwhelm separated sections of their fleet before the remainder could turn back to intervene. The situation at Trafalgar did indeed produce a superior enemy force, 33 French and Spanish battleships to Nelsons 27, and the stage was set for his plan to be implemented. One of the two British squadrons was to be spearheaded by the Royal Sovereign, the other by Victory herself, although he had other heavy ships which could have led the way. But Nelson had not foreseen the very light wind and the consequent agonisingly slow approach, slower than walking pace, on the actual day. Victory took an awful pounding before she ever arrived at the Franco-Spanish line.The mizzen topmast was shot away, as was the ships wheel, which meant that she had to be steered by tiller in the gunroom, with instructions shouted down from on deck. Her crew already had casualties of twenty officers and men dead, thirty wounded, before she could fire a shot in reply. Nevertheless the pivotal moment finally arrived, as seen in this painting. Victory, her guns silent until now, is just about to pass under the stern of the French flagship, Admiral Villeneuves Bucentaure. The ships are so close that Victorys yardarm brushes the French Ships rigging. As Victory passes she fires her port broadside of fifty cannons and one carronade through Bucentaures transom and stern windows, the most vulnerable part of any sailing warship, sweeping the decks from end to end. This shattering blow which is thought to have dismounted twenty guns and killed or injured four hundred men, virtually knocked the French flagship out of the fight. Entering from the left is the 74-gun Redoutable, commanded by the formidable Captain Lucas, who had trained his crew to the highest pitch in fighting at close quarters. Victory will very shortly find herself alongside Redoutable, from which the shot is fired that kills Nelson. |
