 Neptune formed part of the weather column in the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October , and was the third ship from the lead , situated between her sister HMS Temeraire , and the 74 @-@ gun HMS Leviathan . Fremantle had been promised a position second to Nelson aboard HMS Victory , and by 10 o 'clock was sailing fast enough to threaten to overtake her . Fremantle hoped to pass her , and lead the line into battle , but Nelson ordered ' Neptune , take in your studding @-@ sails and drop astern . I shall break the line myself . ' Neptune went into action with her band playing , and everyone except the officers and the band lying down on the deck to protect them from enemy fire . Ahead of her Fremantle saw Eliab Harvey 's Temeraire turn to pass astern of the French Redoutable , but resolved to follow Nelson and HMS Victory to pass astern of the French flagship Bucentaure . As she passed under Bucentaure 's stern , Neptune discharged a double @-@ shotted broadside from her larboard ( port ) guns , with devastating consequences on Villeneuve 's already disabled flagship . Fremantle then had the helm swung hard to starboard , bringing his ship abeam of the Bucentaure . He fired two more triple @-@ shotted broadsides from nearly 50 guns at a range of less than 100 yards into the beleaguered French ship . 
