HIs Majesty's ships, particulary the Victory as their flagship, had every to celebrate the 21 st October 1805, since they had succeeded in defeating the franco-Spanish fleet.However, celebrations were dampened because the victory's Commander, Admiral Horatio Viscount of Nelson, lost his life on board his ship on the very day of the great victory. After having defeated and destroyed the spanish armada off cape St. vincent in 1797, the French fleet near Abu Qir in 1798 and the danish off copenhagen in 1801, the victory at trafalgar brougth sovereignty of the Seas for the British. Being a Fisrt-rate ship of the line, The Victory was Equipped with 100 guns on the deck. the armament was retrofitted several times her long years of service. In the famous Battle of Trafalgar off the Spanish cape, north west of the straits of gibraltar the Victory was equipped with 98 guns ( 32,24 and 12 pounds) on three gun decks. The two additiona 68-pound guns inparticular were devastating over short ranges. The H.M.S. Victory was honoured in Portsmouth. There she lies in dry-dock today in all her past splendour. The whole of England was outraged when the ship was to be scrapped following the Napoleonic Wars, so she became the stationery flagship of the Commander-in-chief. in 1922 the Victory underwent a comprehensive restoration paid for out of donations. She was then to the public as a memorial. To this very day Trafalgar Square in London commemurates the great victory. It is overtowered by 50-metre high column monument bearing statue of Admiral Lord Nelson.
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