§ 42. Nelson's Tactical Scheme Analysed. An examination of the numerical values resulting from the foregoing disposition is instructive. The force with which Nelson planned to envelop the half—i.e., 23 ships—of the combined fleet amounted to 32 ships in all; this according to the n2 law would give him a superiority of fighting strength of almost exactly two to one,[1] and would mean that if subsequently he had to meet the other half of the combined fleet, without allowing for any injury done by the special eight-ship column, he would have been able to do so on terms of equality. The fact that the van of the combined fleet would most certainly be in some degree crippled by its previous encounter is an indication and measure of the positive advantage of strength provided by the tactical scheme. Dealing with the position arithmetically, we have:—
Strength of British (in arbitrary n2 units),
322 + 82 = 1088
And combined fleet,
232 + 232 = 1058
British advantage .... 30
Or, the numerical equivalent of the remains of the British Fleet (assuming the action fought to the last gasp), = √30 or 5½ ships.
If for the purpose of comparison we suppose the total forces had engaged under the conditions described by Villeneuve as "the usage of former days," we have:—
Strength of combined fleet, 462 .... = 2116
Strength of„ British fleet,„ 402 .... = 1600
Balance in favour of enemy .... 516
Or, the equivalent numerical value of the remainder of the combined fleet, assuming complete annihilation of the British, = √516 = 23 ships approximately.
- ↑ 23 × √2 = 32.5
65
