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More than 200 years after the Battle of Copenhagen (1801), a row still simmers over the
autocratic actions of the then Vice Admiral Nelson.
By the start of the 19th Century, Nelson was riding high in the ranks of the world's most powerful navy.
His finest moment, the Battle of Trafalgar, was still to come but when he was despatched to do battle with
the Danes, Nelson, already minus his right arm and eye, was second in command of the fleet, under Sir Hyde Parker.
As the British fleet moved up Copenhagen's King's Channel things quickly started to go wrong for them.
After four hours of fighting, Nelson's division had suffered considerable manpower losses to the pounding Danish
shore batteries, and apparently achieved no advantage. The British had underestimated their enemy.
Parker calls off attack.
However, Nelson, on board HMS Elephant and in the thick of the fighting, was rattled but still confident of victory.
Parker, four miles away from the action, took a different view and raised the signal ordering his second-in-command
to break off action.
Alerted to the flag, Nelson muttered "Now damn me if I do". He ignored Parker's order by putting his telescope to his
blind eye and saying that he could not see the signal.
An hour later victory was his and Nelson returned to England a hero and was made a viscount.
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21th October 2005 marks the bi-centennial of the Battle of Trafalgar when
Admiral Lord Nelson beat the combined Spanish and French fleets and prevented the invasion of the United Kingdom.
The battle marked the greatest day in the history of the Royal Navy.
Twenty-seven sail of the line attacking in two divisions faced thirty-three enemy ships.
The death of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson occurred on board his flagship, Victory at about 4.30pm. by which time he knew
that he had achieved the overwhelming victory that he had planned so carefully.
Nelson had left nothing to chance.
The two-column, right-angled attack worked exactly as he had intended by splitting the enemy fleet into smaller groups that
immediately fell prey to the faster loading guns of the British fleet.
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