Agustín R. Rodríguez González (2005)
The Spanish at Trafalgar: Ships, cannons, men and a problematic alliance

Journal for Maritime Research, 7:1, 26-43, DOI:10.1080/21533369.2005.9668343

Link to this article:
https://doi.org/10.1080/21533369.2005.9668343

An article from a Spanish historian focusing on the situation of the Spanish fleet at the battle of Trafalgar.
Different aspects are discussed in the article, such as
  • Ship designs
  • The supply situation for "ship relevant" materials such as timber for masts, canvas, linen
  • The armament of the participating fleets, especially concerning carronades and howitzers
  • Some strategical and tactical aspects resulting from the numbers of ships for each nation at that time and from the numbers and types of ships participating in the battle
  • "Ideological" commonalities and differences between Spanish, French and British sailors
  • The economic situation of the Spanish nation and the resulting consequences for the Spanish Navy
  • Etc.


I found the article good to understand and very interesting to read, in particular because it provides another perspective on incidents and times I have read about in dozens of Forrester-, Kent- and O'Brian-novels.

It can be downloaded following the link provided above.