Seventeen historic tall ships from five countries held a mock sea battle off the coast of England to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, during which Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated Napoleon Bonaparte's forces.
After nightfall Tuesday, bursts of orange flame meant to simulate cannon blasts illuminated the darkness. Smoke filled the sky and dozens of ships were silhouetted in front of bright flashes of light.
To avoid appearing to gloat over the famous victory by Britain's navy over Napoleon's warships from France and Spain, the organizers didn't have the tall ships carry out a precise re-enactment of the battle with a victor and a loser. Instead, they opted for a sea battle pitting an unidentified red navy against an unnamed blue one.
As tens of thousands of spectators watched from shore near Portsmouth harbor, the ships, including a replica 18th-century frigate portraying HMS Victory -- the flagship that Nelson commanded -- exploded gunpowder and used state-of-the-art pyrotechnics to simulate the battle.
The British victory in 1805 contributed to Napoleon's eventual downfall and gave Britain naval supremacy for more than 100 years.
Earlier Tuesday, nearly 170 ships, including two modern aircraft carriers, from many different countries crowded the waters off Portsmouth on the southern coast of England to commemorate Nelson's stunning victory.
Queen Elizabeth II, in her role as Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, reviewed the fleet from aboard the icebreaker HMS Endurance, along with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
In a written message, the queen said the presence of such a large international fleet showed how highly other nations regarded Nelson, who is one of Britain's greatest military heroes.
"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," the monarch said.
The fleet included 109 British vessels and 58 ships from 35 other countries, including Britain's Invincible and France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carriers and America's amphibious assault ship the USS Saipan.
In a grand finale after the re-enactment, 10,000 fireworks were fired from 35 pontoons and six barges in the waterway, and all the ships in the fleet were illuminated with lights.
"I'm amazed to see that so many countries sent ships to help us celebrate the victory," said Dave Pullen, 30, a garbage collector from a nearby town who took the day off work to see the celebration with his wife and 11-month-old daughter.
"Given all the fighting going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's nice to see so many warships from so many countries that don't intend to destroy one another," he said. "It's a great sign of goodwill and peace."
During the famous battle, a bullet entered Nelson's shoulder, pierced his lung and came to rest at the base of his spine. But he didn't die until after the battle ended with a British victory, during which the Franco-Spanish alliance lost 22 ships and the British none.
France and Britain have long forged an alliance since then, but the British-French rivalry remains strong, as shown by their latest public feud over the EU budget.
The anniversary organizers worked hard to avoid touching it off by creating a display that had no victor.
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