The Battle of Trafalgar saw the British decisively defeat a combined French and Spanish fleet on 21st October 1805 in the most significant naval battle of the Napolionic wars. A Royal Navy Fleet of 27 ships of the line destroyed an allied French and Spanish fleet of 33 ships of the line west of Cape Trafalgar  in south-west Spain. The French and Spanish lost 22 ships, while the British lost none. The British commander Admiral Lord Nelson died late in the battle, by which time he had ensured his place as Britain's greatest naval hero. Indeed he came in the top 5 of the Greatest Britons on the BBC TV Series.

It was part of the War of the 3rd colallition  and a pivotal naval battle of the 19th Century. The British victory spectacularly confirmed the naval supremacy that Britain had established during the 18th Century. However, by the time it was fought, Napoleon had abandoned his plans to invade southern England and instead was defeating Britain's allies in Germany.

Although I have never been to Cape Trafalgar, I visited Gibralter where there is a British War Cemetery for some of the men who died during the battle.  Most of the men were buried at sea in the true traditional naval way, but some were buried at Gibralter.