On October 21, 1805 the British Royal Navy engaged a combinedthe French and Spanish fleet in what would be known as the Battle of Trafalgar. Under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson, the British fleet of 27 vessels split into two columns as they approached the 33 enemy ships. Admiral Nelson's plan was different from the standard tactics of the day. He would not engage the enemy on a parallel vector, he would attempt to cross the enemy's T, aligning his broadsides with the bows or sterns of the enemy ships. This would allow his forces' fire to rake across their adversarys' entire deck. However, in order to achieve this, the British fleet would be within engagement range of the French and Spanish for approximately 20 minutes without the ability to reply to enemy fire. With the wind at their back, the British ships could cross that distance in 10 minutes, however when Nelson's forces started their approach the wind died. Despite this, the battle lines of the Royal Navy broke into the enemy formation. Soon after it reached its desired position, Nelson's flagship HMS Victory opened fire, bellowing a double shotted broadside down the entire length of the French flagship Bucentaure. Over 200 men were killed, crippling Bucentaure and lead to the French and Spanish fleets' loss of cohesion. Without coordination, the French and Spanish lost the advantage their superior numbers gave them, and over the course of the battle, lost the majority of their fleet. This victory was not without cost. During the ensuing melee, Admiral Lord Nelson was shot and fatally wounded by a French marine. He died later that day, satisfied that he had fulfilled his oath to his homeland. By the end of the conflict, the Royal Navy had sustained 1,700 casualties, but had captured or killed 26,000 French and Spanish soldiers. Having defeated Napoleon's forces, the British line of battle had cemented Britain's domination of the sea and eliminated any threat of invasion by Napoleon's army.