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October 21 is Trafalgar Day, the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and the death of England's greatest naval hero, Admiral Horatio Nelson, on 21 October 1805. Fought off the southwest coast of Spain, Trafalgar was the greatest naval victory of the Napoleonic wars and essentially destroyed the sea power of France in a single engagement. Nelson and the British fleet had been blockading the French and Spanish fleet under Villeneuve in Cadiz after pursuing it to the Caribbean and back. When Villeneuve finally emerged to give battle, Nelson, depending on the superior seamanship and fighting skill of his "band...

PARIS -- The mystery of who killed Admiral Nelson is to be explained in a previously unknown novel by Alexandre Dumas, author of The Three Musketeers, discovered by a French researcher and going on sale in June, the book's publisher said on Tuesday. Le Chevalier de Sainte-Hermine (The knight of Saint-Hermine) is a classic Dumas adventure story about the start of the Napoleonic empire and includes a swashbuckling account of the battle of Trafalgar, according to Jean-Pierre Sicre of Phebus press. "The description of Trafalgar is indescribably brilliant. And in it we learn that it is the hero of the...

With the sun setting over this faded port city, Queen Elizabeth II lit a beacon Friday to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, in which Britain's Royal Navy defeated the French and Spanish fleets and cemented its naval supremacy for the next century. Bells tolled aboard British vessels around the world and wreaths were laid at the site of the decisive battle just off Cape Trafalgar in southwestern Spain. In the nearby port of Cadiz, descendants of sailors who fought in the battle joined military leaders to pay homage to the 7,000 who died in the fighting....

PORTSMOUTH, England - Seventeen tall ships from five countries held a mock sea battle Tuesday off England's coast to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, Adm. Horatio Nelson's stunning victory at sea that gave Britain naval supremacy for a century. To avoid appearing to gloat over the famous victory over Napoleon Bonaparte's warships from France and Spain, the organizers didn't have the historic tall ships carry out a precise re-enactment of the battle with a victor and a loser. Instead, they opted for a battle pitting an unidentified red navy against an unnamed blue one. As tens...