• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Swansea Museum

  • English
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Visit Swansea Museum
    • Boats and ships on display
    • Swansea Museum Collections Centre
    • Tramshed
    • Staff Contacts
    • Friends of Swansea Museum
    • Join our mailing list
  • Our collection
    • Art UK
    • Egyptian artefacts
    • Transport
    • Nautical objects
    • Finds from Swansea and Neath
    • War time Swansea
    • Donating an item to Swansea Museum
  • Swansea – a brief history
    • Archaeology
    • Industry
    • The Sea
    • Mumbles Train
    • World War Two
    • Old houses and places
  • What’s on
    • Exhibitions
    • Events
    • Past exhibitions
  • Museum shop
  • Learning
    • School Visits
    • Community Outreach
  • Blog
You are here: Home / What’s on / Past exhibitions / Copperopolis / The Hidden Hero of Trafalgar

The Hidden Hero of Trafalgar

Lord Nelson’s innovative combat tactics and his fleet’s discipline are often cited as the twin towers of success at the most remarkable sea battle in history, The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805.

There is a quiet hero in this tale, however, whose name is often overlooked. Hailing from Swansea, flexible yet resilient with a lustrous orangey sheen. No, it’s not Gavin Henson. It’s copper !

Swansea’s copper was known as the purest in the world. ‘Copper bottoming’ ships improved manoeuvrability, providing a tactical advantage to Admiral Nelson, which helped win the battle with the French.

Eventually, the whole British fleet was fitted with Swansea copper, which for the remaining years of the Napoleonic War kept ships hulls in good condition, needing little maintenance or cleaning below the waterline.

Find out more…

Copperopolis: Spain

Primary Sidebar

Search

Back on Track

Tramshed is now open
Wednesdays & Saturdays from 11am to 4pm.

Find out more

Blog

  • `The Record’
  • YMCA Jubilee Campaign Poster 1919
  • Board Game, to raise awareness of issues facing Young Carers
  • Prisoner of War Diary
  • Swansea Blitz Photograph
 

In ‘Swansea – A photographer’s Dream’ Colin Riddle’s pictures of Swansea in the 1960s represent images of a lost age.

 

Though much of what he photographed still exists for the keen historian to seek out, much has also disappeared.

     

Buy your copy

Tweets by swanseamuseum

Footer

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

City and County of Swansea

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2022 · Swansea Museum, City and County of Swansea

  • enEnglish