- International Fleet Review
"For a full list of ships present, see
List of ships present at International Fleet Review, 2005 "The International Fleet Review took place on
28 June 2005 , as part ofTrafalgar 200 , the celebrations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of theBattle of Trafalgar in 1805.2005 Review Line-up
During the afternoon of
June 28 2005 Queen Elizabeth II, asLord High Admiral of theUnited Kingdom , embarked onboard HMS "Endurance" and, escorted by THV Patricia, set sail to review a fleet of over 167 ships of theRoyal Navy and of over 30 other nations. The last fleet review by the Queen in the United Kingdom was for the commemoration of Battle of the Atlantic anniversary in 1999.The review took place on the
Solent , betweenPortsmouth and theIsle of Wight , inEngland . TheFleet Review is a 600-year-old British tradition, and used to be of Royal Navy ships only. This review, however, went with the modern trend to inviting foreign warships too, and was the largest on record in terms of nations attending and of number of ships [ [http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEML6U5DIAE_index_0.html International Fleet Review viewed from space] ] [ [http://www.seabritain2005.com/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.508 Mod Trafalgar 200 Foreign Navies Enroute for International Fleet Review] ] - 167 naval and merchant ships attended, including 57 British warships.The Queen reviewed the fleet from on board the Royal Navy's Antarctic Patrol Vessel HMS "Endurance". Huge crowds gathered along
Southsea Common andGosport Sea Front, to witness the largest gathering of naval vessels in the Solent since the Queen's Silver Jubilee Fleet Review in 1977.The crowd was entertained by aerobatic and flying displays, including an appearance by a Spitfire,
helicopter aerobatics and a special performance by theRed Arrows . While the weather had been very wet, the clouds appeared to clear in time for each display.At the end of the day's festivities, centred around the review, a massive firework display was held as a 'reconstruction' of the Battle of Trafalgar (with "Grand Turk" standing in for HMS "Victory", and with a red and a blue side rather than French and English ones), now known to be one of the largest firework displays in recorded history.
Events of the day
* Fleet Review by HM the Queen: 1300-1500
* Steam past,Tall ship s sail past, Small craft sail past andflypast of international maritime aircraft: 1500-1645
* Air displays: 1700
* Nelson’s Walk from Southsea Common and embarkation to "Grand Turk": 2000
* Son et lumière: 2100-2230
*Fireworks display: 2210-2225
* Fleet Lighting: 2230Images from the day
ee also
*
International Festival of the Sea, 2005
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