Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood
Cuthbert Collingwood led the second column into action at Trafalgar and took command when Nelson was shot. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1748, he went to sea at twelve and spent almost his entire adult life afloat, serving in North America, the West Indies and the Mediterranean. He first met Nelson in the West Indies in the 1770s, and the two became close friends; Collingwood repeatedly succeeded to ships Nelson had commanded. He was a superb ship handler and an unusually humane officer for the period, disliking flogging and preferring to sort disputes himself, and he was known for the attention he paid to his men's health. He fought at the Glorious First of June in 1794 and at Cape St Vincent in 1797, where his ship's gunnery relieved Nelson's under heavy pressure. At Trafalgar on 21 October 1805 he commanded the lee column in the Royal Sovereign, newly coppered and the fastest ship there. He broke the allied line first, cutting astern of the Santa Ana and raking her, and was under fire alone for some minutes before support arrived. Nelson, watching, is said to have remarked on how Collingwood was taking his ship into action. He took command on Nelson's death, and made the decision to anchor the prizes in the gale that followed, which was disputed and which cost many of them. He was made a baron and given the Mediterranean command, and held it for five years without relief, refusing repeated requests to come home. He died at sea off Menorca in March 1810, worn out, and was buried beside Nelson in St Paul's.
- Lived: 1748 CE – 1810 CE
- Nationality: British
- Roles: admiral
