Navies can commemorate admirals who lost battles as well as those who won them. The example here is a Spanish fleet whose admiral-named ships recalled officers defeated by Nelson, Rodney, or Jervis. Britain is described as using admirals' names more readily for bases than for ships. The joke about defeating that Spanish fleet 'in name' follows the discussion of how nations remember the same events differently; it does not imply another battle took place.
Notable Point · 2:49:39-2:50:21
Why defeat does not erase an admiral from naval commemoration
Spanish ships named after admirals defeated by British commanders illustrate how naval commemoration can preserve a career despite a lost battle.