ABSTRACT
This chapter will describe no naval battles. It is enough to remember that, as Lord Barham wrote, thanks to ‘Sir Robert Calder’s action, the splendid victory off Trafalgar, the valiant achievement of Sir Robert Strachan [and] Sir John Duckworth’s brilliant action off San Domingo … the enemy lost in the short space of six months 31 sail of the line, 5 frigates and 5 corvettes’, in 1805–6 1 ; that in 1806 he lost most of Missiessy’s squadron of 6 sail of the line; that in 1807 the British made sure that the Danish and Portuguese fleets would never fall into Bonaparte’s hands; that the Spanish revolt of 1808 robbed him of the remains of the Spanish fleet too, and half a dozen more of his own ships; and that in 1809 Admiral Lord Gambier destroyed 3 and crippled 7 of the 10 French ships of the line which he attacked with fire-ships in the Basque Roads. Besides these another half-dozen French ships of the line were captured in minor actions between 1807 and the end of the war; and every line of battle ship lost to the enemy was a gain to the defence of Britain. There were no more major naval battles, although important French squadrons did from time to time put to sea; and the reason why they were not brought to book will appear in due course. Instead of describing battles our purpose here is to deal with the tasks of the British sailors and the problems of the handful of men at the Admiralty who directed the world-wide employment of the Royal Navy.
