Nelson did not lead every British ship present into the Battle of Copenhagen. He took the force assigned to the close attack, while additional ships remained with Admiral Hyde Parker in the supporting or bombarding fleet. That distinction matters when reconstructing command responsibility and comparing published ship lists. It also reflects the navigational limit of the operation: crowding the entire fleet into the channel would have increased the risk of British ships colliding before they could fight effectively.
Notable Point · 3:07:11-3:07:55
Nelson did not take the whole fleet into Copenhagen
A brief correction separates Nelson's attacking squadron from the ships that remained with Hyde Parker outside Copenhagen's confined approach.