Battle of Trafalgar remembered

Final checks on the of HMS Victory ahead of the ceremony.

The anniversary of Admiral Lord Nelson's triumph at the Battle of Trafalgar has been remembered at a ceremony in Hampshire.

The Trafalgar Day ceremony on board Nelson's ship HMS Victory at Portsmouth Navy Base, marks the anniversary of the naval battle on 21 October, 1805.

Details of the 200th Trafalgar anniversary celebrations are also due to be released on Tuesday.

In 2005, an ambitious series of national and international events will be held and Portsmouth will be the centre of the celebrations.

'Finest heroes'

The central act of the commemoration was the laying of a laurel wreath by the Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral James Burnell-Nugent on the spot where Admiral Nelson fell when he was shot in battle.

The victory at Trafalgar against the combined fleets of France and Spain established Britain's supremacy at sea and freed the country from the long-held fear of invasion from Napoleon's armies.

Admiral Nelson died in the battle after he was shot by a French marksman as he stood on the quarterdeck of HMS Victory.

A Navy spokesman said of the ceremony: "It was a fitting tribute to one of the Navy's finest heroes."

Civic guests and senior representatives of the Royal Navy also attended the ceremony.