2nd of April 1801 onboard the RN flagship just outside Copenhagen.
The battle has raged for hours between the British fleet and the Danish blockships defending Copenhagen, but no decision appear to be close. The overall commander Adm Parker is nervous and orders: "Set signal for Nelson to withdraw!"
The flagsignal is set and at Nelson's flagships the junior officer with the special task of watching signals from the flagship shouts to Nelson: "Sir, we're ordered to withdraw!"
Nelson looks annoyed but turns toward the flagship and puts his looking glass in front of his eye.
So far everything is OTL, but:
In the same moment a huge "thhuugghh - swisshh!" sounds across Nelson's ship and where just before Adm Nelson had been standing a headless body with blood pulsing from the neck stands for a splitsecond before it collapses on the deck.
The next few minuttes are chaos, but the second in command had also seen the signal and orders: "Signal to the line to withdraw!"
As the British ships withdraw they can hear the Danish crews cheer. "Damned - just an hour more and we would have had them!" it sounds from many experienced gunner and the younger ones soon agreeing.
But anyway the Armed Neutrality Union between Denmark-Norway, Sweden, Prussia and Russia stands together as firmly as ever and it is agreed to rig a combined fleet of 50 ships of the line (SoL).
The RN has 113 SoL but also has to keep the combined French-Spanish fleets of 90 ships at bay. So in short, in the next couple of years the RN is grinded down in constant battles with the Neutrality Union in the North and the French-Spanish in the south. In 1809 GB is invaded by a French lead force containing representatives from most European nations...
Regards
Redbeard
We're the Armed Neutrality that anti-British?