Flag Swatch From "HMS Victory" During Battle of Trafalgar, Attributed to Lord Nelson. CAG Encapsulated.

Swatch, .625" x .75". A swatch from the flag flown during the Battle of Trafalgar, attributed to Lord Horatio Nelson's "HMS Victory" ship.  Encapsulated by CAG, measuring 2.375'' x 3.375''.

The HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy that was ordered in 1758, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765.

Vice-Admiral Nelson hoisted his flag in Victory on 18 May 1803, with Samuel Sutton as his flag captain for The Battle of Trafalgar, a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars.

As part of Napoleon's plans to invade England, the French and Spanish fleets combined to take control of the English Channel and provide the Grande Armée safe passage. The allied fleet, under the command of French Admiral Villeneuve, sailed from the port of Cádiz in the south of Spain on October 18, 1805. They encountered the British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson, which was assembled to meet this threat along the southwest coast of Spain.

Nelson was outnumbered, and to address this imbalance, he sailed his fleet directly at the allied battle line's flank, hoping to break it into pieces. Villeneuve had worried that Nelson might attempt this tactic but, for various reasons, had made no plans in case this occurred. The plan worked almost perfectly as Nelson's columns split the Franco-Spanish fleet in three, isolating the rear half from Villeneuve's flag aboard Bucentaure. The allied vanguard sailed off while it attempted to turn around, giving the British temporary superiority over the remainder of their fleet. The ensuing fierce battle resulted in 22 allied ships being lost, while the British lost none.

The tactic exposed the leading ships in the British lines to intense fire from multiple ships as they approached the Franco-Spanish lines. Nelson's own HMS Victory led the front column and was almost knocked out of action. Nelson was shot by a French musketeer and died shortly before the battle ended. 

Accompanied by an additional packet of provenance used to authenticate the relic.

A larger swatch of flag flying on the HMS Victory sold for $63,717 in Bonham's 2004 auction. 

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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