Reports describe Collingwood crying over Nelson while continuing to issue the orders required of a new commander-in-chief. The relatively unscathed Franco-Spanish van considered renewed action before withdrawing toward Gibraltar. Its commanders then had to account for another British squadron under Rear-Admiral Thomas Louis near the strait. Collingwood's battered fleet was only one of several British naval forces that the enemy would have faced. The Channel Fleet, Western Squadron, and other formations reveal the strategic depth behind a battle often narrated as a single last line of defence.
Notable Point · 39:02-40:49
Command through grief and Britain's wider fleet depth
Collingwood continues issuing orders while mourning Nelson, as the enemy van confronts the strategic depth of other British squadrons beyond Trafalgar.