Sir John Orde and the Trafalgar Campaign—A Failure of Information Sharing

Authors

J. Ross Dancy, The U.S. Naval War College
Evan Wilson, The U.S. Naval War College

Number

10

Abstract

When France’s Toulon Fleet appeared off Cádiz in April 1805, Orde possessed more information about the whereabouts and strength of the Combined Fleet than any other British flag officer, placing immense responsibility on him to share that information widely and quickly. But in this he failed, costing Lord Nelson a good chance of bringing the campaign to a halt six months before Trafalgar, and providing an example of a failure to achieve mission command.

Recommended Citation

Dancy, J. Ross and Wilson, Evan (2020) "Sir John Orde and the Trafalgar Campaign—A Failure of Information Sharing," Naval War College Review: Vol. 73: No. 2, Article 10.
Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol73/iss2/10