The Battle of Trafalgar was the most decisive sea-battle ever fought. The victory in 1805 had checked Napoleon s lingering hopes for an invasion of Britain and smashed Spain s status as a first-class naval power. It brought Britain a mastery of the seas that would last for the next 100 years.Philip Durham was one of the 27 sea captains at Trafalgar. Captain of the "Defiance," a 74-gun warship, he narrowly avoided death during one of many furious actions at Trafalgar when a splintered shaft of wood nearly severed his leg. Despite his injuries, he fought on to capture a Spanish man-of-war and a French 74-gunwarship."" This is the story of how Durham forced Nelson to allow him to take part in Trafalgar, and his dramatic experiences of the most epic of naval victories."