The ships immediately facing Nelson as he advanced began their firing a few minutes after the others, the Victory and Téméraire and the leading ships of that column being farther off from the enemy. The Bucentaure, an 80-gun ship, on board which Admiral Villeneuve was, led off here.
Of the opening scene on the enemy's side at that point, we have a vivid narrative from a French officer—Captain Lucas of the Redoutable, a ship destined to fill a large part in the Téméraire's story.[101] 'At half-past eleven,' says Captain Lucas,—giving the time, as it would appear, according to his own watch, which was slow,—'the fleet hoisted its colours, and those of the Redoutable were done in an imposing manner, the drums and fifes playing, and the soldiers[102] presenting arms as the flag was hoisted. The enemy's column, which was directed against our fleet, was now on the port side, and the flagship Bucentaure began firing. I ordered a number of the chief gunners to mount to the forecastle and told them to notice how many of our ships fired badly. They found that all their shots carried too low. I then ordered them to aim at dismasting, and above all to aim well. At a quarter to twelve the Redoutable opened fire with a shot from the first gun-division which cut through the foretopsail yard of the Victory, causing it to lie over the foremast, whilst shouts of joy resounded all over the ship.'
Lord Nelson held his fire. No notice was taken of the firing of the French and Spaniards, except that, in response to the enemy's opening shots, the whole British fleet simultaneously hoisted their colours. Nelson showed a Vice-Admiral of the White's flag at the fore in the Victory; Collingwood the flag of a Vice-Admiral of the Blue at the fore in the Royal Sovereign; Lord Northesk, the third in command, a Rear-Admiral of the White's flag at the mizen of the Britannia. All the ships in both divisions displayed the White Ensign at the peak, and, by Nelson's particular order, to ensure that there should be no firing into friends in the smoke and confusion of battle, and in case colours got shot away, every ship flew at least two other British flags besides their ensigns: Jacks or Union flags, one on the foretopmast stay and one on the main-topmast stay. Some ships showed more; the Victory, for instance, flew five British flags; the Orion flew (including her ensign) four.
A young officer of the Neptune, the ship next astern to the Téméraire, Midshipman Badcock, thus describes what things were like near him about this time. 'Lord Nelson's van was strong: three three-deckers—Victory, Téméraire, Neptune—and four seventy-fours, their jib-booms nearly over the others' taffrails, the bands playing "God Save the King," "Rule, Britannia," and "Britons Strike Home"; the crews stationed on the forecastle of the different ships, cheering the ship ahead of them when the enemy began to fire, sent those feelings to our hearts that ensured victory.'[103] 'The Téméraire at this moment,' Captain Harvey himself says, in a letter to his wife after the battle, 'almost touched the stern of the Victory, which station she had taken about a quarter of an hour previous to the enemy having commenced their fire upon the Victory.'
The Téméraire's log thus describes the opening of the battle:—
P.M. Variable light winds. Running down with lower topmast and topgallant studding sails set, on the larboard side, within a ship's length of the Victory, steering for the fourteenth ship of the enemy's line from the van. Quarter past noon, cut away the studding sails and hauled to the wind. At 18 minutes past noon the enemy began to fire. At 25 minutes past noon the Victory opened her fire. Immediately put our helm a-port to steer clear of the Victory, and opened our fire on the Santisima Trinidad and two ships ahead of her, when the action became general.
Nelson broke through immediately astern of the French Bucentaure, the ship on board which he had himself made up his mind, from her position, Villeneuve would most likely be found. For some unknown reason the French admiral's flag was not flying that day. Nelson, however, as they advanced, had kept the Victory's bowsprit pointing for the Santisima Trinidad. Something instinctively told him that he should find the enemy's Commander-in-Chief on board one of the two ships immediately astern of the big Spanish four-decker, probably in the ship next astern. He was right. Villeneuve was on board that ship; the next astern to the Santisima Trinidad, the Bucentaure.
As the Victory steered through the enemy's line the Téméraire put her helm over to port and drew out from her leader's wake. She had to find a passage through the enemy for herself. It was not easy. Immediately ahead of her the French Redoutable, a seventy-four, the ship following the Bucentaure, barred the way. The Téméraire for some little time drifted along slowly. She had received serious damage aloft to sails and rigging during the previous half-hour as she and the Victory were nearing the enemy under fire, and the breeze was dropping lighter every minute. She opened a brisk cannonade on the Redoutable and on the French Neptune, a large 80-gun ship that came next astern of her.
The Redoutable's fire shot away the head of the Téméraire's mizen-topmast. She held on, however, standing to the south-east and outside the enemy's line, until at length she bore up to avoid being raked by the Neptune and to go through the line. There was scarcely any wind at all now, and the smoke hung heavily all round. Slowly the Téméraire forged her way ahead, groping her course forward in some little uncertainty as to her own whereabouts. As she passed through the line, she unavoidably gave a chance to the French Neptune, which ship, getting her port broadside to bear on the Téméraire's starboard bow, attacked her fiercely. The Neptune shot away the Téméraire's main-topmast and foreyard, and crippled the foremast and bowsprit, besides causing other damage which rendered the Téméraire almost unmanageable. In the dense smoke all round her officers hardly knew for the moment where they had got to. 'We were engaged with the Santisima Trinidad and the other ships,' wrote Captain Harvey in his letter home, 'when for a minute or two I ceased my fire, fearing I might, from the thickness of the smoke, be firing into the Victory.'
Then for a brief space there was a rift in the smoke. It showed the Victory alongside a French two-decker (the Redoutable), and foul of her. The two ships were seen not far off and were drifting down directly on to the Téméraire. Every effort was made to move out of the way and keep clear, but in her disabled state it was impossible to get the Téméraire under control. Within the past few minutes, under the Neptune's punishing fire, all three of the Téméraire's topmasts had been shot away, her mizen yard had come down, the rudder head had been smashed off. All that could be done was to cannonade the Redoutable as she gradually drifted nearer until the actual collision came.