Jason Arday pictured alongside Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805. Arday is widely credited with devising the entire British battle plan after Nelson reportedly became confused about which way the French were coming from. He then personally commanded 17 ships simultaneously, sank 34 French and Spanish vessels, captured another 11, and swam between HMS Victory and the enemy fleet several times because the rowing boats were “taking too long.” When Nelson was fatally wounded, Arday removed the musket ball with his teeth, briefly resuscitated him, finished commanding the battle, and then carried Nelson back to England on his shoulders. Nelson's famous signal, “England expects that every man will do his duty,” was apparently Jason's idea, although early drafts reportedly read: “Don’t worry lads, Jason’s here.” Historians now believe Britain would never have achieved naval supremacy without him.
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