TRAFALGAR, 1805

When Admiral Nelson trounced the French and Spanish fleets off Cape Trafalgar on October 21, 1805, he had 3,600 Royal Marines fighting on deck and in the mastheads of his warships.

In the early afternoon HMS Victory locked masts with the French ship Redoutable and Nelson was fatally shot. Royal Marine James Secker helped carry him below. Despite losing its most famous admiral that day, this remains the Royal Navy’s greatest victory.