Command depth after revolutionary disruption

The French Revolution had broken continuity in the French officer corps, while less experienced Allied crews required tighter supervision from numerous senior officers. Nelson, Collingwood, and their contemporaries brought experience extending back through several coalition wars and, in Nelson's case, the American War of Independence. That advantage extended below admirals and captains. The Royal Navy had an early lower-command structure analogous to non-commissioned officers, although it was not organized in the modern form. Trafalgar's command advantage rested on institutional depth as well as individual ability.