Spain

Cape Trafalgar is a headland in the Province of Cádiz in the southwest of Spain. The 1805 naval Battle of Trafalgar, in which the Royal Navy commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson decisively defeated Napoleon's combined Spanish and French fleet, took place just off the cape.

Cape Trafalgar lies on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the Strait of Gibraltar. The International Hydrographic Organization defines the western limit of the strait and the Mediterranean Sea as a line that joins Cape Trafalgar to the north with Cape Spartel to the south.

The most prominent structure on the cape is a 34 m lighthouse, which totals 51 m above sea level, the Faro de Cabo Trafalgar, which was first illuminated on 15 July 1862.

The name 'Trafalgar' is of Arabic origin, deriving either from Taraf al-Ghar or from Taraf al-Gharb. In both cases, 'taraf (طرف)' means 'edge' or 'extremity' and refers to a promontory.

In May 2021, 2,000-year-old Roman baths emerged from the sand dunes of Cape Trafalgar, including entire walls, windows and doors. The structure, which dates from approximately the 1st century BC, stands almost four meters high, with its doors and windows. It was found by archaeologists from the University of Cadiz in one of the most emblematic and visited spaces on the Cadiz coast, near to the beach. Very close to the Trafalgar Lighthouse itself, about 500 meters from the place where the thermal baths were found, some structures of Roman nurseries and pools were discovered in previous years. (

The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815).

As part of Napoleon's plans to invade the United Kingdom, the French and Spanish fleets combined to take control of the English Channel and provide the Grande Armée safe passage. The allied fleet, under the command of the French admiral, Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, sailed from the port of Cádiz in the south of Spain on 18 October 1805. They encountered the British fleet under Lord Nelson, recently assembled to meet this threat, in the Atlantic Ocean along the southwest coast of Spain, off Cape Trafalgar.

Nelson was outnumbered, with 27 British ships of the line to 33 allied ships including the largest warship in either fleet, the Spanish Santísima Trinidad. To address this imbalance, Nelson sailed his fleet directly at the allied battle line's flank, hoping to break the line into pieces. Villeneuve had worried that Nelson might attempt this tactic, but for various reasons, failed to prepare for it. The plan worked almost perfectly; Nelson's columns split the Franco-Spanish fleet in three, isolating the rear half from Villeneuve's flag aboard Bucentaure. The allied vanguard sailed off while it attempted to turn around, giving the British temporary superiority over the remainder of their fleet. In the ensuing fierce battle 20 allied ships were lost, while the British lost none.

The offensive exposed the leading British ships to intense crossfire as they approached the Franco-Spanish lines. Nelson's own HMS Victory led the front column and was almost knocked out of action. Nelson was shot by a French musketeer during the battle, and died shortly before it ended. Villeneuve was captured along with his flagship Bucentaure. He attended Nelson's funeral while a captive on parole in Britain. The senior Spanish fleet officer, Admiral Federico Gravina, escaped with the surviving third of the Franco-Spanish fleet; he died five months later of wounds sustained during the battle.

The victory confirmed the naval supremacy Britain had established during the course of the eighteenth century, and was achieved in part through Nelson's departure from prevailing naval tactical orthodoxy.

Litrerature:

Harrison, Cy, ed. (26 April 2020). "Battle of Trafalgar, 21st October 1805". Three Decks. Three Decks, Cy Harrison.

Battle of Trafalgar, URL: htps://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Trafalgar-European-history

Gulf of Cádiz, URL: https://www.britannica.com/place/Gulf-of-Cadiz