The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805, remains one of the defining moments in naval history. The decisive nature of the engagement, the death of Nelson & the outpouring of national grief in the aftermath have inspired a wealth of literature on the battle & many narratives have retold this famous action. However, until now no work has attempted to provide an in-depth history of each of the British, French & Spanish vessels that were at the engagement. Dividing the fleets into the relevant classes by their rating, this keystone work then proceeds to provide a service history of each individual vessel, including specifications tables, list of commanders, casualty lists & refit histories. Each class of vessel is illustrated by original plans drawn specially by the author alongside contemporary & modern images of the ships. Author: Peter Goodwin 256 pages 295 x 248mm Hardback Vital contextual information is included, on design & construction, styles, relative merits between the British & Combined fleets, trends & developments in armament & fighting techniques, & a comparison of the pound-for-pound effectiveness of the rival fleets. This book is a complete, standard-setting guide to the essence of the greatest naval battle, the ships at Trafalgar. Publisher: Conway Maritime Press