Battle of Trafalgar Signaled British Domination of the Seas

"England expects that every man will do his duty," signaled the flags at the start of the Battle of Trafalgar. On October 21, 1805, in the most significant naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, Admiral Lord Nelson led the British fleet in the resounding defeat of an allied French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar on the southwestern coast of Spain.

Outnumbered and outgunned, Nelson led a fleet of 27 Royal Navy ships of the line in a daring attack on a combined French/Spanish fleet of 33 ships. Using unorthodox tactics, the British took 22 enemy vessels and lost none. The French never again attacked the British navy in force, and to this day French naval officers are not addressed as "sir."

Nelson's success reasserted Britain's unparallelled dominance of the seas, foiled Napoleon's plan to invade Britain, and established his own place as Britain's most revered naval hero. Mortally wounded by a musket ball in the heat of battle, Nelson died aboard his flagship the HMS Victory in the final hours of the battle.

County Stamp Center carries a wide variety of stamps issued to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the historic Battle of Trafalgar. The stamp pictured (click the post title to order) was issued by the Marshall Islands and depicts Nelson's flagship painted the distinctive black and yellow "Nelson Chequer." In preparation for the battle, Nelson ordered that the British ships be painted the unusual pattern to make them easy to distinguish from their opponents during battle, according to Wikipedia. You can find other stamps commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar by using our easy Quick Search feature (or click the link).

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