England Expects A Slice of Cake With Blue Frosting

Tee Bee beat me to wishing a happy birthday to Horatio Nelson. Go on over to her place for some nifty links on the life and times of England's greatest naval hero. Never mind manuevers - always go straight at 'em.

UPDATE: Well, just for some more Nelson treats, here is H.M.S Victory:

She was Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar and is the oldest warship in the world still in commission . Currently, she is in drydock at Portsmouth Harbor.

Meanwhile, here is a model of H.M.S. Agamemnon:

This ship, a 64 gun two-decker, was Nelson's Favourite, perhaps because it was the ship he commanded while he was winning Emma, Lady Hamilton while on duty in the Med in the mid-1790's. She (meaning the ship) eventually sank off the River Plate in South America in 1809. Lady Hamilton foundered somewhat earlier than that.

Military matters and strategic command of the sea aside, I've always found the ships of this period to be works of great beauty, both aesthetic and technological. The Missus and I debate about this all the time, but if I were ever to go on a cruise, I'd much rather sign on as a deck-hand on a sailing ship than go floating about trapped in a giant cross between a Vegas casino and a strip mall. But that's just me. (Dad spent a year at the Coast Guard Academy back in the day and did a tour on the Eagle. I've always been a bit envious of that.)