Napoleon and the French Fleet at Toulon

Vice admiral louis rene le vassor de la touche treville was widely considered one of france's best naval leaders. Villeneuve had never won a battle in his career, although that was probably more a reflection of the superiority of the royal navy than of his abilities. The french plan got off to a bad start when Gontom attempted to slip out of the british blockade around brest. He waited for a heavy fog to roll in and ordered his crews to operate in silence as they left port. Then a sudden gust of wind blew away the fog, and the french were exposed. By the time he got another one, the whole campaign would be