The French brought thirteen ships of the line and four frigates to the Nile, but only two ships of the line and two frigates escaped. Nine ships of the line were captured, one destroyed, and another scuttled, while the British lost no ships. Measured by the proportion of the opposing fleet eliminated, the Nile has a stronger claim than Trafalgar to being Nelson's greatest battle of annihilation in this assessment. Midway provides the closest later proportional comparison. The judgment concerns destruction and capture, while Trafalgar remains a major strategic victory.
Notable Point · 24:25-27:08
The Nile's destruction compared with Trafalgar and Midway
The proportion of the French fleet destroyed or captured supports the case for ranking the Nile above Trafalgar as a battle of annihilation.