 From Trafalgar to the Falklands, the Royal Navy has been driven by an unshakable belief in its own invincibility. This powerful myth has had a profound impact at decisive moments of our history. The history of the Royal Navy is the history of Britain and the history of war at sea. The ultimate victory, but it did far more than merely destroy Napoleon's fleet. Nelson had given the Royal Navy a mythic status. He had made it invincible. For the next 100 years, the whole world really did believe that Britannia ruled the waves. For 100 years, from high on his column, Nelson watched as goods flowed up the river Thames from the corners of the empire he had helped to create. Naval domination made us rich from the centre of world finance. For more than a century, the Navy wasn't called upon to fight a major sea battle. No one dared to take them on. All that was left was to police Britain's global trade. Jelico now had to make a decision. It was the most important decision in the history of the Navy for over 100 years. Was he going to fight or save his ships? In just 18 months, the Royal Navy had transformed the situation in the Mediterranean. They defeated the French and Italian navies and survived the onslaught of the German Air Force. They had carried Britain to the brink of victory. The Royal Navy's contribution to the defeat of Hitler was incalculable. It's finest achievement since Trafalgar.