Nelson was shot by a French sniper during the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. He was struck while pacing the quarterdeck of his ship HMS Victory with Captain Thomas Hardy, at about 1.15pm. ... Nelson died at 4.30pm on 21 October 1805. He was 47 years old. In one of the most decisive naval battles in history, a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the coast of Spain.