h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What we really need an entry on is the Battle of Trafalgar. Because it's just plain embarrassing that bbc.co.uk has linked to Wikipedia for their Trafalgar promo.

Yes, I noticed that. I don't know much about it though.

Just looking through the unedited Guide, there's some workable information here: A1937450

Whisky looked set to start something on this, but doesn't seem to have uploaded anything yet: A4296594

If anyone fancies writing a bit of blurb for us, we could even run a Topic of the Week on this...

Whisky's doing his usual and procrastinating like mad...

That placemarker entry is just that - I haven't even started on the entry yet - still got to finish one on HMS Victory, (then a second on what all the terms I'm using in the Victory entry mean) before I'll get round to starting one on the battle itself - so if someone wants to do the entry - please feel free!

Fair dos

A topic of the week would be a good idea. Because my knowledge is very limited, although I've added the entry to my list of eight still-unwritten entries.

F16034?thread=76493&skip=9564&show=1

-literally!

Best description of the Battle of Trafalger I've ever heard...

I have an interest in the sailing ships of the period around 1800. A visit to the Maritime Museum at Greenwich was a high point of a London visit. The "Horatio Hornblower" series by A&E, the "Master and Commander" movie, a video tour of the HMS Victory, etc., all line my video shelves.

I also have a book "Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organization, 1793-1815" by Brian Lavery, a big, detailed book published by The Naval Institute Press (originally by the Conway Maritime Press in the UK). It has numerous references to the Battle of Trafalgar, including a section on "Fleet Tactics". Some excerpts:

"The Royal Navy fought only six decisive fleet battles in twenty years of warfare between 1793 and 1815 ..."

"Nelson's great contribution to the Royal Navy was in battle tactics - not writing about them, but in practical application."

"At Trafalgar, every captain was virtually on his own after the approach to battle ... nevertheless, the tactics of Trafalgar were quite sophisticated."

Lots of diagrams of fleet formations, plus elaborate illustrations from the National Maritime Museum, e.g. "The Approach to the Battle of Trafalgar".

Just FYI, all copyrighted material, but great stuff.

There's a short bit on the battle in A11689239 but I suppose the Guide really needs a slightly more in-depth account of the battle.

I remember in the RN, we all had to do a 30 minute presentation on an event in military history. The PO who impressed us all was the guy who did a talk on Trafalgar and "proved" that the French won.

Was it due to the fact that Nelson died before he could annihilate the entire French fleet?

It was a long time ago and I can't really remember the details, but it centred around witness reports that Victory was dismasted and fully ablaze at one point in the battle. Speculation was rife that the sister ship of Victory was hastily re-named before returning to port.

That hardly counts as a win

Surely if the French had won then they would not have fled the battle instead of defeating the Navy and then invading England

Ask a Frenchman who won.

They'll say 'the red team'

Is any one doing this entry, Im cofused.

I don't think so - I just posted to say that I've briefly covered it in one of my History of the Royal Navy Entries. A much more in-depth look at the subject would definitely be welcome - got enough spare time, Bob?

I was planning to do it - but feel free to take over (at the rate I'm doing entries at the moment it'd be Christmas 2011 before I got it finished).