The fleets anchored roughly a cable apart and exchanged broadsides, leaving little room for manoeuvre once the line was formed. Low floating batteries added fire that the British had not fully noticed before the action. Danish reinforcements were rowed from shore batteries to vessels already under heavy fire, reducing the crews available to keep those fixed defences operating. Many boats reached ships only after they were silenced or unable to fight, so the process weakened one position without reliably restoring another. The fully crewed reserve ships to the north remained inactive while Parker's heavier division approached, leaving Nelson's flank unchallenged.
Notable Point · 55:25-59:09
A failing shore-to-ship reinforcement system
Once the fleets anchored, Denmark weakened its shore batteries to reinforce ships under fire while the fully crewed northern reserve stayed inactive.