Why did Horatio Nelson ignore Admiral Sir Hyde Parker’s signal to disengage at Copenhagen?

During the Battle of Copenhagen on April 2, 1801, Admiral Sir Hyde Parker—who was widely considered overly cautious—ordered Horatio Nelson to disengage because he feared the British fleet was suffering unacceptable losses.12

Nelson chose to ignore this signal because he believed the British were in a strong position to secure a victory. By continuing the engagement, he successfully shattered the Danish defenses, leading to an armistice that effectively ended the threat posed by the anti-British coalition. While a famous anecdote suggests Nelson jokingly claimed he could not see the signal due to his blindness in one eye, the primary motivation for his disobedience was his aggressive tactical judgment and his assessment that the battle was nearing a successful conclusion.12