Nelson's Trafalgar part 4/6

[j3parrots]

Napoleon was a great commander on land (Im sure he would appreciate my expert deductions there) but seemed to care or understand less about the importance of naval power, also many of the French admirals where unexperienced having replaced all the ones who had recently had their heads cut off, being aristocrats compared with the royal navy where people like Nelson had been at sea since the age of 11

[helmuthoorn]

Why didn't the British just sink off 20/30 old barges filled with bolders in the harbour mouth of Cadiz?

The French-Spanish fleet would be bottled up and entirely useless without a drop of blood spilled..

[nolf999]

@helmuthoorn Because then the fleet wouldn't have been destroyed but temporarily inconvenienced.  You cant win a war by temporarily inconveniencing the enemy.

[celticfcglasgow]

@nolf999

With centemporary technology it would have taken them MONTHS to clear the harbour mouth for even one ship to pass through one at a time, if they could manage the means to do so, let alone organize and agree upon it. You´re dealing with Froggies (Haste ye slowly) and Dago´s (Manana) here, who couldn´t even agree upon the colour of an orange. No, that fleet would rot away in port and Cadiz might even have become the harbour that never was opened again.

[cogidubnus1953]

@celticfcglasgow and helmuthorn - Just what substances ARE you on? Do you have ANY idea how deep the water is outside Cadiz harbour, and how much you'd need to deposit there to completely seal off access...with contemporary technology it would've taken YEARS to do...you're bloody cracked...

[TheIcelandicPatriot]

@helmuthoorn Thats not a bad plan but Nelson had orders to destroy it. Not traping it. 

[helmuthoorn]

@TheIcelandicPatriot

It would amount to the same thing and even more; an enemy harbour would be out of action for the duration of the war and ,most probably, even until mankind had developed the technical skills to clear up this mess. Which would take at least 120 years.

Cadiz would never be a harbour city again and the enemy fleet would rot away in port.

[TheIcelandicPatriot]

@helmuthoorn Aye that is possible but in order to block the harbor they had to get near it no? Then the french and spanish ships would be able to open fire upon the british.

[helmuthoorn]

@TheIcelandicPatriot

Wait for a stiff breeze blowing from the sea.

They will never be able to set sail and meet the British at a short enough distance to open fire.

Or , even better, wait for a dark and foggy night..

If the harbour of VCadiz would not be suitable to block off in such a manner, Nelson could also have waited for a stiff inland breeze and then set loose about 30 fireships upon them.

[TheIcelandicPatriot]

@helmuthoorn O offcorse fireships! I nearly forgot they existed lolz :)

Yes that could work :)

[helmuthoorn]

@TheIcelandicPatriot

I'm Dutch.

We know about these things.

And there once was a time that these things made us the scurge of the seven seas.

[TheIcelandicPatriot]

@helmuthoorn A time of honor, a time of explorations and wonders. Now it has all faded away into history.

[FishBrothersReturns]

He went to Cadiz just for that??

What a lucky man!!

[kirkman667]

Just because we ruled half of the world dosent mean you have to be angry about it.

[sandynathan]

@kirkman667 haha love the comment mate, jealousy by others is a horrible thing!!!!

[AntonioCarloDiCanio]

@kirkman667 Eh no. You wouldn't have been alive when Britain was a great power. So you can't take responsibility for something you haven't done.

[mattyreynolds1990]

@AntonioCarloDiCanio Don't think he was taking responsibility. But agree otherwise

[AntonioCarloDiCanio]

@mattyreynolds1990 I knew that too. I just don't like delusional morons who render a sense of achievement by clutching to the coattails of people to whom he shares no affiliation.

[DanceWizard619]

suck my chinse nuts