Although Nelson's stunning victory at Trafalgar did not immediately win the war, it gave the Royal Navy the freedom to exploit the unprecedented seapower it had achieved. The Threat from the french battlefleet was never entirely eliminated, but the rigorous policy of blockading the main bases meant that Napoleon's navy was never able to mount a significant challenge to british supremasi.
HMS Victory is the world's best-known warship. She was the flagship of Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar 1805 and today lies at Portsmouth, still a commissioned vessel, where she is visited by thousands each year who marvel at her strength and beauty and her wonderful state of preservation after more than 200 years of life.
The story of modern naval development is not the story of any one navy; rather it will be found in the struggle for supremancy of countries for which a large and powerful naval force was judged to be a vital neccessity.