The British weather column contained eleven ships, while Collingwood's lee column was the heavier force. Victory led the weather column, with Temeraire and Neptune among its heavy ships. Another 98-gun ship with Calder would have made a noticeable addition, especially if placed with Nelson. The allied line interspersed French and Spanish ships; discouraging either contingent from abandoning the other is offered as one possible reason. Language, organisation, and different ship-handling methods complicated their efforts to operate together. The comparison presents the British columns as a formation prepared for combat and the allied order as a coalition still struggling to sail as one fleet.
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What the two orders of battle reveal
Compare the British combat columns with an allied sailing order shaped by national and organizational compromise.