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The French Admiral had formed his main battle line of 21 ships, French and Spanish intermingled, with the Santisima Trinidad in the center and his flagship Bucentaure next; the remaining 12 under the Spanish Admiral Gravina constituted a separate squadron stationed to windward to counter an enemy concentration, which was especially expected upon the rear.
Gravina, upon the Prince- des-Asturies, was surrounded by English vessels. The Fougueux, the Pluton, the Algesiras, commanded by Rear-Admiral Magon, heroically resisted overwhelming attacks. The Redoutable, the Santissima- Trinidad, and the French flag-ship the Bucentaure, crowded in upon each other, waited for the assault of the second column, which Nelson brought against them.
Shortly after this bloody episode in our national history I joined the Didon frigate, Captain de Parseval, as enseigne de vaisseau. My new commanding officer, who had joined the navy at a very early age, had served as a midshipman on board Villeneuve's vessel, the Bucentaure, at Trafalgar.
Culpably slow, however hindered by lack of wind, several of these joined stragglers from Gravina's division to leeward; the Intrépide, under her brave skipper Infernet, set an example all might well have followed by steering straight for the Bucentaure, and surrendered only to overwhelming odds; five others under Rear Admiral Dumanoir skirted to windward and escaped with the loss of one of their number, cut off by two British late-comers, Spartiate and Minotaur.
It had been Nelson's purpose and desire to make her his special antagonist, because of Villeneuve's flag; but to do so required room for the "Victory" to turn under the French vessel's stern, and to come up alongside. As she drew near, Hardy, scanning the hostile array, saw three ships crowded together behind and beyond the "Bucentaure."
We made out such names as Argonauta, Espana, Pluton, Terrible, Bucentaure, San Rafael, and others, by means of which Dumaresq was able to identify some of them as ships that had been blockaded in the port of Toulon by Lord Nelson. Others were manifestly Spanish ships.
After clearing the Bucentaure, the Victory fouled the Redoubtable, and proceeded to demolish her hull with the starboard guns, and with her port guns she battered the Santissima Trinidad, until she was a mass of wreckage, and the Africa and Neptune forced her to surrender.
The "Victory" was about two miles from the "Royal Sovereign" when the latter, at ten minutes past twelve, broke through the allied order, and she had still a mile and a half to go before she herself could reach it. At twenty minutes past twelve Villeneuve's flagship, the "Bucentaure," of eighty guns, fired a shot at her, to try the range. It fell short.
Following, abreast of the Leviathan, the three leading ships of Nelson's column, she engaged, captured, and took possession of the Bucentaure, flagship of the commander-in-chief of the enemy, Villeneuve; and she afterwards assisted in the capture of the Santissima Trinidada, and Intrepide.
Another enemy was in like manner on board the TEMERAIRE; so that these four ships formed as compact a tier as if they had been moored together, their heads lying all the same way. An incessant fire was kept up from the VICTORY from both sides; her larboard guns playing upon the BUCENTAURE and the huge SANTISSIMA TRINIDAD.
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