England Expects that Every Man will do his Duty

Exactly two centuries ago to-day, a Royal Navy fleet of some twenty-six ships of the first, second, and third rate under the command of Admiral Horatio, Lord Nelson defeated the much larger French/Spanish combined fleet under Admiral de Villeneuve off the cost of Cadiz, Spain. Attacking from a tactically disadvantageous position, Nelson's squadrons penetrated the enemy fleet in two columns. They were unable to bring their guns to bear for much of the engagement, but superior RN gunnery managed to turn the battle decisively. Nelson was wounded on board his flagship, HMS Victory, after he was singled out by a French sniper on board le Redoubtable who saw his fanciful uniform. Taken below, where he died several hours later after learning of his great victory, uttering "Thank God I have done my duty." His body was preserved in a keg of brandy and shipped back to England. A grateful nation buried its greatest hero under St. Paul's cathedral in London, where he lies to-day (near the other great national hero, the Duke of Wellington). HMS Victory is also still around, and I had the good fortune to visit her in Portsmouth several years ago. Being a first-rate ship of the line, it had over one hundred guns. It is an impressive sight, and its masts still rise above the most modern ships of the Royal Navy.
The main benefit of Nelson's victory was that it forestalled Bonaparte's plans to invade England permanently. Admiral de Villeneuve lost control of the sea to the British, who held onto it until the end of the Second World War (and the Labour Government of Clement Attlee). However, it seems that the main benefits of his labour have been forfeited by Eurocrats. At the recent International Fleet Review in honour of the battle, nations from around the world sent their ships to pay homage to the men who fought there. The US Navy intended to send a Nimitz-class carrier, the largest warship in the world to-day, as a gesture honouring the importance of one of our principal allies. However, the French (who lost the original battle and killed Lord Nelson) became furious, as the US Carrier would overshadow their contribution, France's home-grown CVN Charles de Gaulle. Instead, the US sent the Saipan, a Landing Ship of the Tarawa class. Does anyone think that this is ridiculous? It's what happens when a nation whose current Prime Minister compared Bonaparte's defeat at Waterloo to the Crucifixion of Christ is forced to re-live its defeats. I wouldn't be surprised at all if by 18 June 2015 (the two hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo) the French would try to re-write it? Already, in French Prime Minister de Villepin's book Les cent jours or The One Hundred Days he claims that the defeat of the French at Waterloo had the "glint of Victory." Perhaps he might endeavour to tell Bonaparte about that, considering l'empereur des Français was sent packing all the way back to France from Belgium and promptly de-throned when he arrived in Paris. One might also tell Mssr. de Villepin that Napoleon Bonaparte was born Napoleone di Bounaparte. Being a Corsican, he was more an Italian than a Frenchman. Alas, I'm not one to provoke a hissy-fit over a war that's been done for nearly two centuries.