Fusillades of gunfire, blasts from cannons and fireworks helped mark the 1805 victory over France and Spain.  Earlier, the Queen conducted a massive international fleet review.  She and Prince Philip sailed from Portsmouth on HMS Endurance to conduct the review of 167 naval, merchant and tall ships from 36 countries.

The first fleet review was conducted 

by King Edward III in 1346

Historic flagship

Spectators were also treated to a series of sail-pasts and air displays by the Red Arrows and vintage aircraft.  The evening's mock Napoleonic battle began when an actor playing the part of Nelson sailed from shore in a small cutter to board the tall ship the Grand Turk, a replica 19th Century frigate.

The ship played the part of Nelson's historic flagship Victory during the battle.

After the re-enactment, a massive fireworks display, one of the most spectacular ever staged in the UK, was mounted over the ships.  The fleet was then illuminated, as a commentary on the famous victory boomed out over the Solent.

In the afternoon, it took about two hours for Endurance to sail up and down the lines of anchored vessels, which the Queen inspected from a specially constructed viewing platform.

As the Queen passed each vessel, she was saluted by its crew.

The vessels, including ships from the US, France, Spain, India, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa, lined up at the Spithead mooring in the Solent with between 25,000 and 30,000 sailors on board.

They had been arriving in the Solent for days, along with thousands of spectator yachts.

The Queen said in a written message that the presence of such a large international fleet was a tribute to Admiral Lord Nelson - who died in the battle on 21 October 1805 - and the special bond between sailors.

"Admiral Lord Nelson's supreme qualities of seamanship, leadership with humanity, and courage in the face of danger are shared among our maritime community today. He could wish for no greater legacy," she said.  The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were joined on the Endurance, a polar survey ship, by Defence Secretary John Reid and the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Alan West.

The Queen inspects HMS Victory, Portsmouth

Security operation

The royal couple had lunch on the ship, and received a 21-gun salute from frigate HMS Chatham at the start of the review.

Spectators' yachts and patrol ships carrying armed police, as part of a £1.7m security operation, sailed alongside Endurance.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall watched the review from on board survey ship HMS Scott with other Royals travelling aboard various ships.

The Duke of York was on HMS Enterprise, and the Princess Royal on RFA Sir Bedivere. The Duchess of Gloucester watched from HMS Gloucester, and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent from RFA Fort George.

The event follows a long tradition of reviews of the fleet at the Spithead mooring, dating back to medieval times. The last was in 1977 to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Mock battle

After a series of further spectacles including the display by the Red Arrow, the Queen attended a reception on board HMS Invincible.  The mock Battle of Trafalgar was held between a blue and a red team, rather than Britain versus France.

The decision upset some who regarded it as unnecessary political correctness.

It is one of 17 historic ships from five countries involved in the spectacle, aimed at illustrating how sea battles were fought in the era of Nelson and Napoleon.

The battle is being accompanied by a dramatic sound and light show.

During the battle, the death of Nelson is being re-enacted on board the Grand Turk.

Here is a selection of the many events, activities and tributes that have either already taken place or are in the pipeline for this Nelsonian year.

Replica of a 19th Century ship's mast set to remain at the Weighbridge roundabout, Guernsey, in tribute to the Battle of Trafalgar.

Commemorative coin being minted, Alderney.

Midsummer party, focal point of SeaSark 2005 festival, Sark.

New road signs throughout Norfolk bearing the legend Nelson's county in recognition of his birth at Burnham Thorpe.

Nelson's monument restored, Great Yarmouth (2005).

Life and times of Nelson, exhibition, Custom House, King's Lynn (April - October).

Nelson portraits, Norfolk Nelson Museum, Great Yarmouth (April - October).

Pageant, Royal Norfolk Show, Norwich (29-30 June).

Auction of Nelson memorabilia (5 July), Bonhams.

Nelson and Napoleon - Europe in turmoil exhibition, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (7 July - 13 November) (Other displays and events throughout the year).

New Trafalgar Dispatch , carrying news of the battle back to the capital (4-11 August).

Re-creation of Nelson's waterborne funeral along the River Thames, (16 September).

Nelson's Night, musical festival, Royal Albert Hall (22 October).

Service of remembrance, St Paul's Cathedral (23 October).

Parade and show, Trafalgar Square (23 October).

£380,000 facelift for Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square (2006).

Trafalgar Through French Eyes, exhibition, National Fishing Heritage Centre, Grimsby (1 April - 31 October).

The Mersey River Festival becomes a staging post for many of the international ships on their way to Portsmouth for the International Fleet Review (10-13 June).

Wooden frigate Grand Turk drops anchor at the Albert Dock for the Trafalgar celebrations (21 October).

Service and wreath-laying to mark Scotland's role in Battle of Trafalgar, Glasgow Cathedral and Nelson Monument, Glasgow Green (5 June).

Series of Trafalgar Woods being created across Scotland, with 30,000 trees planted by up to 1,000 children (during 2005).

Artefacts from Nelson's childhood on display, Buckler's Hard, Brockenhurst, near Southampton (throughout 2005).

Battle of Trafalgar Experience and other exhigbits, Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth (throughout 2005).

Heyday of Sail gallery, Royal Marines Museum, Portsmouth (throughout 2005).

HMS Victory tours, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (throughout 2005).

Victory's foretopsail on display, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (March - October).

Trafalgar documents on show, Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth (5 May - 30 November).

International Fleet Review, Spithead, Portsmouth (28 June).

Son et lumiere re-enactment of the Battle of Trafalgar, Southsea (28 June).

Drumhead ceremony, Southsea Castle (29 June).

International Festival of the Sea, Portsmouth (30 June - 3 July).

Trafalgar Dinner, HMS Victory, Portsmouth (21 October).

Lighting of nationwide chain of beacons begins, HMS Victory, Portsmouth (21 October).

Nelson's statue to be moved from Southsea Common to Old Portsmouth, overlooking the sea (2005).

Exhibition celebrating Britain's naval successes opens, Chatham Historic Dockyard (1 June).

No 2 Dock at Chatham Historic Dockyard, where HMS Victory was built, is renamed Victory Dock (23 July).

Lord Nelson tall ship visits Chatham, Kent (27 August).

Medway Maritime Festival (28-29 August).

Trafalgar Night firework party, River Medway (21 October).

Wood to be planted at Lamberhurst Farm, Kent, the "flagship" of 27 across the UK to commemorate Nelson's fleet at Trafalgar (during 2005 and 2006).

Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival, Cornwall (17-19 June).

Half-size replica of HMS Victory is set on fire for charity, Torrington (August 27).

Re-creation of Trafalgar Dispatch, bringing news of the battle back to England, Falmouth.

Woodlands to be planted at Torbay and Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

Totnes - nothing, after the local council voted not to hold any events for fear of upsetting its French twin town.

Nelson display, Nelson Museum, Monmouth (throughout 2005).

Scroll granting Nelson freedom of Haverfordwest, unearthed after being locked away for more than 50 years, goes on display in the town's museum.

Commemorative wrought-iron gates to be placed on the seafront at Marine Cove Gardens, Burnham-on-Sea as the town celebrates the life of Lord Nelson, even though he was born at a different Burnham, several hundred miles away.

Woodland to be planted near Culverhay School, Bath (where Nelson used to "take the waters" in-between battles), one of 27 special woods being planted to commemorate each ship of Nelson's Trafalgar.

Anna Tribe

Anna Tribe, 75 and the great, great, great granddaughter of the admiral, criticised a mock-up of the 1805 sea battle as "politically correct".

Tuesday's re-enactment in the Solent will pit reds against blues, not British against French and Spanish.  The organisers said they were not attempting to re-create Trafalgar.  Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, said the event was "a celebration of a battle at sea at the time of Nelson - not an exact mock-up of the British and French at Trafalgar".

'We won'