How Trafalgar gutted French and Spanish experience

How did Trafalgar affect the French and Spanish navies?

It gutted them by removing ships and, more importantly, a disproportionate share of their experienced officers and sailors.

Upper decks exposed senior officers to fire, while the most skilled topmen worked high in the rigging. A battle of this intensity therefore killed experienced people disproportionately. France and Spain lost men who could command ships and handle their sails, as well as the ships themselves. This loss of experience made Trafalgar especially damaging to both navies.