Royal Sovereign fights alone until the column arrives

After Santa Ana was disabled, other enemy ships tried to surround Royal Sovereign. The British flagship continued firing despite being dismasted and at one point faced four or five opponents without immediate support. The rest of Collingwood's squadron then entered the fight and prevented those ships from concentrating on their admiral. The short passage shows the danger built into leading a column through the line: the first ship gained tactical surprise but had to survive alone until following vessels closed the gap.