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great guns. Technologically, with the exception of the above mentioned firing mechanism Naval cannon were identical across all navies. Sizes of cannon were classified according to weight of shot, a two or three deckd ship of the line might carry 18 or 24 pounders on the upper deck and 36 pounders on the lower gun decks. Some of nelsons ships like the victory also had short barrelled from long barrelled eight pounders to the heaviest 68-pound carronades on Nelson’s Victory. The process of reloading an 18 pounder could take at least 6 men. The gun crew for a 36 pounder?/, the Each seaman filled a designated role in the reload process, from swabng, loading andto running out a two-ton piece of cast bronze. Rapid reloading was highly valued by the British, driving the Admiralty to create the Article XXXV in the Regulations and Instructions of 1745. Directed to every Royal Navy Captain, the article states that ‘…he is to discipline the ship’s company frequently in the exercise of the great guns and small arms, to render them more expert in time of battle, and to set down in his journal the times he exercises them’. The ability to fire faster than the opponent was key to the British success in the Battle of Trafalgar since every volley would damage the enemy ships integrity, personnel, cannons, and significantly reduce enemy morale. The British were at a significant disadvantage in terms of striking power compared to the allied fleet. Striking power can be calculated as the total ‘weight of broadside’, which is the sum of the weight of every loaded cannonball capable of being fired from the fleet. As Mark Adkin calculates, the “Total weight of Broadside was 19.5 tons for the English. Total weight of Broadside was 27.5 tons for the allies.” Therefore, the combined fleet had a significant offensive advantage over the English. The English had to make up their deficit through rate of fire. G.L Newham affirms that Nelson’s second in command, Collingwood “was accustomed to tell them (the crew), that if they could fire three well-directed broadsides in five minutes, no vessel could resist them; and, from constant practise, they were enabled to do so in three minutes and a half.” The French and the Spanish were considerably slower than the English due to the combined fleets being blockaded in port for months without training. The combined fleet was only able to fire one broadside every four to five minutes. Nelson stated that he sought a “pell mell battle”, which is a close-range, chaotic fight won through superior British gunnery, rather than not necessarily tactical advantage achievd through manuevering. In order to justify Nelson’s aggr