The Nelson Touch

France declared war on Britain in 1793, and for the next 12 years Britons lived in constant fear of invasion. With the seemingly unstoppable armies of Napoleon Bonaparte crashing through Europe, Britain’s best line of defense were her “wooden walls”—the Royal Navy. As the Navy endeavored to defend British interests, the world witnessed naval battles of epic proportions. From these turbulent battles emerged one of the world’s most revered naval commanders—a man glorified by the citizens of Britain and Europe as their savior: Horatio Nelson.

October 21, 2005, marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Horatio Nelson’s greatest victory, and the opening of The Mariners’ Museum’s latest special exhibition. The Nelson Touch explores the naval career and the fighting skills of one of the world’s greatest naval heroes.