Trafalgar's force balance was contingent rather than inevitable. Thomas Louis's five ships and Robert Calder's HMS Prince of Wales could have raised Nelson's line to 33 ships, offsetting the allied first rates with a stronger British second-rate contingent. Richard Strachan's hunting squadron might even have produced a 38-versus-33 British advantage if its course and timing had differed. HMS Calcutta's diversion of an enemy squadron away from a convoy adds another example of apparently small movements changing the forces available. The operational picture turns on squadrons, orders, escorts, and chance rather than the familiar heroic headline count.
Chapter · 2:32-6:25
Squadrons that could have transformed Trafalgar
The familiar 27-versus-33 comparison changes sharply once Thomas Louis, Robert Calder, and Richard Strachan's nearby British ships are restored to the operational picture.