French merchant ships and small privateers. During 1801, Cooke participated in the capture of the off Cape Finisterre, helping Samuel Hood Linzee and Richard King chase her down on 26 January. Amethyst was not heavily engaged with Dédaigneuse and received no damage, but aided in pursuing and trapping the French ship so that she could be seized. Dédaigneuse was later purchased into the Royal Navy as HMS Dedaigneuse. Shortly afterwards, Cooke captured the Spanish ship Carlotta and the French privateer Général Brune in the same area. Trafalgar With the Treaty of Amiens, Cooke briefly retired on halfpay before being recalled to the fleet at the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars in 1803. Cooke was requested as flag captain by Admiral Sir William Young at Plymouth, but Cooke tactfully refused, instead applying for active service. He received command of on 25 April 1805. In May, after the large combined French and Spanish fleet, under Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve escaped from Toulon, beginning the Trafalgar campaign, Cooke was ordered to join a flying squadron under ViceAdmiral Cuthbert Collingwood. The squadron arrived off Cádiz on 9 June and Collingwood detached Bellerophon and three other ships to blockade Cartagena under RearAdmiral Sir Richard Bickerton. When the combined fleet entered Cádiz on 20 August, Collingwood recalled Bickerton's force and mounted a blockade of the port. Collingwood was reinforced with more ships, and was later superseded by Nelson. Cooke was heard to say at this time that "To be in a general engagement with Nelson would crown all my military ambition." Nelson had Villeneuve's fleet trapped in Cádiz and was blockading the harbour awaiting their expected attempt to escape. The FrancoSpanish fleet escaped Cádiz on 18October 1805, but was soon chased down by Nelson and brought to battle on 21 October. Nelson formed his fleet into two divisions; the weather column would attack to the north under his direct command and the lee column would operate to the south under the command of Cuthbert Collingwood in . Cooke was stationed fifth in Collingwood's line, and so was one of the first ships engaged in action with the combined fleet. Cooke took the unusual step of informing his first lieutenant William Pryce Cumby and his master Edward Overton of Nelson's orders, in case he should be killed. Bellerophon was soon closely engaged with the French, breaking through the enemy line and closing with Aigle. As with the other