The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to her Last Berth to be Broken Up
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| J.M.W. Turner, The Fighting Temeraire, 1839 |
Painted at the height of Turner’s career, The Fighting Temeraire, represents a shining moment for England, or the end of an era. The ship that served as a faithful companion in the British Navy being tugged away by a modern tug boat that's half the size.Turner so desired the work that he called the painting his "darling."
The ship’s name was Temeraire, and she served in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 as a gun ship. The battle was fought between the British Naval armies and those of Spain and France during the Napoleonic Wars. The battle proved to be instrumental in securing Britain’s win in the war. Britain had 27 ships compared to the French and Spanish’s combined 33. Yet, once the battle ended, 22 French and Spanish ships had been lost, while the British fleet remained unharmed.
Admiral Lord Nelson, who was mortally wounded during battle, led the British Navy. Nelson won the battle with pure naval genius. Opposed to the primary way of approaching the enemy in a single line then splitting into two, Nelson chose to approach in two rows forcing the opposing fleet to split. Nelson knew his navy was superior and by prohibiting the French and Spanish to leave. It forced the fleets to fight, created mass chaos among the French and Spanish fleet and created no way for them to reposition to fire.
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