It notably saw action at the Battle of Trafalgar, and also played a role in Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom.

French naval officers had become more talented and one, Admiral Pierre André, Comte de Suffren, proved to be a brilliant opponent in the Indian Ocean (Second Anglo-Mysore War).

Following the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the French continued to make improvements to the navy that had brought them revenge for the defeats of the Seven Years' War.

Its evil lay in the unfairness to qualified men condemned to the lower deck or the merchant marine because they were not of noble blood.

The concept of having, besides the larger warships, armed small craft in 'flotillas' also evolved at this time and saw success against the British Channel Fleet in August 1801, frustrating Admiral Horatio Nelson himself.

Admiral Denis Decrès, an able administrator but unfortunately more of a courtier than a naval strategist, was made Minister of the Marine in 1801, a portfolio he held until the final exile of the Emperor in 1815 (see below).

To build new ships large military seaports and shipyards were set up at Cherbourg and Antwerp – the latter especially worried British Prime Minister William Pitt, who felt it was a 'pistol aimed at the head of England'.

[3] However, a good navy takes many years to build, not only ships, but an ample reserve of skilled officers and sailors.

Following the defeat of the French fleet at Abukir, nearly 2,500 sailors and Marine artillerymen were stranded in Alexandria and used to form the new legion during October and November 1798.

[3] Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom had been in the works for some time, with the first Army of England gathering on the Channel coast in 1798.

The resumption of hostilities in 1803 led to their revival, and forces were gathered outside Boulogne in large military camps in preparation for the assembling of the invasion flotilla.

The Royal Navy was the main obstacle to a successful invasion, but Napoleon declared that his fleet need only be masters of the Channel for six hours and the crossing could be effected.

He spent the following weeks preparing and refining his tactics for the anticipated battle and dining with his captains to ensure they understood his intentions.

Drawing on his own experience from the Nile and Copenhagen, and the examples of Duncan at Camperdown and Rodney at the Saintes, Nelson decided to split his fleet into squadrons rather than forming it into a similar line parallel to the enemy.

[7][8][9] Napoleon, increasingly dissatisfied with Villeneuve's performance, ordered Vice-Admiral François Rosily to go to Cádiz and take command of the fleet, sail it into the Mediterranean to land troops at Naples, before making port at Toulon.

On 20 October the fleet was sighted making its way out of harbour by patrolling British frigates, and Nelson was informed that they appeared to be headed to the west.

This time, however, the flotilla was not disbanded and its better gunboats were used for coastal service, escorting convoys of small commercial vessels along the English Channel.

In time, given good leadership and opportunity, there is no doubt that this new fleet would have united and challenged the British Royal Navy.