X - X marks the spot
Nobody knows the precise position of the Battle of Trafalgar, not least because it lasted a long time and moved a considerable distance. The National Maritime Museum has a chart published in 1806 which has crossed guns marking 'the position' of the battle, at 36° 7' N, 6° 17' W. The site is too deep to be buoyed.
The scene of the battle waged two hundred years ago is today a peaceful spot known as the Costa de la Luz, or the coast of light. It is a peaceful, mute witness to a war that shifted the balance of power in Europe.
Part of the Nelson A to Z, Edited extracts taken from The Nelson Encyclopædia by Dr Colin White, Chatham Publishing London, 2002.