Although the Battle of Trafalgar, as a defining moment in naval history, has been the subject of countless books, until now no work has provided an in-depth history of each of the British, French, and Spanish vessels involved in the engagement. This keystone work divides the fleets into relevant classes by their rating and then offers a service history of each vessel, including specification tables, a list of commanders, casualty lists, and refit histories. Each class of vessel is illustrated by original plans drawn by the author along with contemporary and modern images of the ships. Vital contextual information is included on design and construction, styles, relative merits between the British and combined fleets, trends and developments in armament and fighting techniques, and a comparison of the pound-for-pound effectiveness of the rival fleets. This book is a complete, standard-setting guide that promises to change the way we look at the very essence of one of the greatest naval battles of all time.