CloseAction.com
Close Action
Signal 16
At Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, Nelson's final command was not a lecture from the flagship but Signal 16: "Close action." In the signal book, that short naval phrase meant to engage the enemy more closely - to close the distance until initiative, maneuver, and disciplined violence decided the fight.
Close Action takes that signal as a working philosophy: train people to understand the aim, trust them to maneuver, and expect decisive contact instead of passive attrition. Nelson's captains were briefed, drilled, and empowered to break the line in two attacking columns, closing the range through initiative rather than waiting for perfect geometry or micromanagement from the rear.
