Tay,
It is debatable as to whether the Nile or Trafalgar was the 'greatest'.
It is probably true that the Nile had the more actual real impact on future events. For example all, except four of the thirteen ships - although these were later caught up with - were either destroyed or captured. At Trafalgar only fifteen out of the thirty three combined fleet were similarly dealt with, even though Nelson at the outset had desired the combined fleet's destruction. It is easy to call for these things at the outset, however, quite another to carry it out! There again, The Nile was probably the principal cause of Napolean's abandoning his dream to capturing British India, and which was followed up by the actions of Abercrombie and the army in Egypt and those of Sir Sydney Smith at Acre.
Trafalgar, much lauded as it is, did not remove the French threat to invade the British Isles, something which was often said in the past I believe by the Victorians (again!), but which for some time now has been denied by historians. Napolean broke up his camp at Boulogne before Trafalgar and marched his troops to face the Austrians threat at Austerlitz, which of course he won.
I also agree with modern day historians that much of what has earlier been said of Trafalgar, does not bear close scrutiny and many things which were claimed to have been a 'first' are laid at Nelson's door. This, as has been implied, was largely because this was the battle in which he died and so of course everything was accorded to him. However, Nelson was rather more of an implementer of other's tactics, which he had studied. You mention the Battle of the Saintes which was where Rodney did indeed break the line, perhaps the first Admiral to do so. Nelson, having of course studied this tactic, was only copying it where he though the situation warranted it.
St. Vincent, of course, was where Nelson shone and where he first came to public attention, although of course his abilities were well known within within the navy long before that. However, wearing your ship out of the line and then initially taking on five 80 gun Spanish ships single-handedly, before support arrived takes some guts! I'm not sure these days that it is thought Nelson actually disobeyed Jervis, but rather that he had a tacit agreement with him. He was after all a commodore. However it was a gamble, and if it had not payed off Nelson might well have been on the receiving end of Jervis' not inconsiderable wrath!
I think, perhaps, on balance that the Nile was the greater of the two engagements.
Kester
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