On October 21,1805, one of the most momentous battles in European history began off Cape Trafalgar, Spain. The HMS Victory, LED by Lord Horatio Nelson, defeated the Napoleon-led armada of French and Spanish ships as they attempted to invade England. At the head of the British column, Nelson's flagship, the HMS Victory, sailed directly into the center of the Napoleon-led fleet to cut it in two. Her steering was disabled, her sails were full of holes, and she was partially dismasted, but Victory came straight on. Only then did Nelson give the order to open fire while turning to run down the line of the French formation