the twelfth in the line from the lead ship of the van. She was ahead of the flagship, Bucentaure, on her larboard quarter, and astern on the larboard quarter was the 74-gun . Trafalgar Neptune entered the battle about 25 minutes after the start of the action, having by then drifted to leeward and fallen astern of Redoutable. Neptune should have had the position immediately astern of Bucentaure, but the Spanish 74-gun , which should have been four places astern of Neptune had drifted up to leeward. Maistral hailed San Justo The San Justo not being in her station and edging down to place herself on my windward beam hampered me; I at once hailed her to enquire if she knew her station; I told her that mine was to be next astern to the Bucentaure; she replied that she was about to place herself astern of me, which she did not do, and continued to the wind and to fore-reach on me, which made me fall off a little to leeward and to draw away from the flagship, of whom I had been within hail in the first place. San Justos captain, Francisco Javier Garstón, blamed the crew's inexperience for failing to keep her station. This would be significant in the coming battle as the position astern of the flagship would be the focus of British attention, and should have been occupied by a powerful ship like the Neptune. Meanwhile, the ship that should have been astern of Neptune, the Spanish 64-gun San Leandro, was following San Justo to leeward, leaving a considerable gap behind the flagship that the British could exploit. Redoutables captain, Jean Jacques Étienne Lucas, saw the threat, and brought his ship forward in an attempt to close the gap. Despite his efforts, the British were able to break the line between Bucentaure and Redoubtable. As the battle started Nelson's flagship, broke the line ahead of Neptune, passing by and raking Bucentaure. As Victory passed by Neptune fired into her with a broadside from her larboard battery, damaging Victorys foremast, bowsprit, spritsail yards, her forward hull and her anchors. Maistral then ordered Neptunes jib run up, to move her out of Victorys range. She briefly engaged at long range, and then wore back to support Villeneuve. Standing someway off to leeward Neptunes gunners reloaded, and then opened fire with a broadside into as the British ship