Britain marks Battle of Trafalgar bicentennial

Queen Elizabeth II lit a beacon at sunset on Friday beside the flagship on which Admiral Horatio Nelson died leading Britain to victory at the Battle of Trafalgar 200 years ago.

The beacon she lit by the HMS Victory in the southern English port of Portsmouth was the first of 1,000 being set ablaze nationwide to mark the day the British navy battered a combined French and Spanish fleet off the Spanish port of Cadiz.

Elizabeth her husband Prince Philip then dined on board the preserved ship, moored in Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy, meeting three of Lord Nelson's descendents Craig Nelson, Arron Nelson, and Brett Nelson, all in Britain's armed forces.

Before sitting for dinner, the queen gave a speech recalling how Nelson had averted the threat of invasion and set in motion events that defeated Napoleon's plans to dominate Europe.

She said that statistics alone did not explain Nelson's victory.

"It was the qualities of the leadership and comradeship which he gave to the Royal Navy in the years leading up to his final battle that made all the difference.

"He was without doubt a superb tactician and a fearless and determined commander, but he was above all a man of faith, duty and deep concern for the welfare of everyone in his fleet.

"Tonight we recall his greatest battle and his death at the moment of victory, but we also remember his example of service and his humanity," she said.

Earlier a solemn remembrance ceremony in lashing rain on Victory's quarterdeck, a wreath was laid on the spot where Nelson was felled by a sniper's bullet.

A second wreath was laid below decks at the place where Nelson later died after hearing he had won the battle for Britain.

At noon, bells tolled on Royal Navy ships across the world to mark the moment Nelson went into battle.

First Sea Lord Sir Alan West said Britain was abuzz with Trafalgar Day celebrations. Amid a year characterized by Nelson mania, some 6,000 events were taking place this weekend to mark the historic fight.

"I was amazed how it has gripped the spirit of Britain across the country. It's almost a Nelson fever going on," he said.

Second Sea Lord Sir James Burnell-Nugent, who laid the wreaths, said afterwards that it was a special occasion for the Royal Navy, Britain and the world.

"Nelson is a hero in all navies because most countries in the world have been involved in war at sea," he said.

Before the ceremonies, Nelson's famous signal to his fleet, "England expects that every man will do his duty," was hoisted on board the wooden flagship.

Meanwhile in the southern Spanish port city of Cadiz, the thousands of British, French and Spanish sailors who died off the coast of Trafalgar on October 21, 1805 were honored with a moving homage to the fallen.

The epic Battle of Trafalgar finished the threat of invasion by emperor Napoleon Bonaparte's France and established British naval supremacy for the next century.

Britain not lose a single ship, while 18 opposing vessels were destroyed.

A spectacular maritime show is planned around the foot of the Nelson Monument in London's famous Trafalgar Square on Sunday, followed by a remembrance service at St Paul's Cathedral, where Nelson's tomb lies.

Last month, the largest procession of boats seen on the River Thames in modern times recreated Nelson's waterborne funeral procession which drew some 100,000 people onto the London riverbanks in 1806.

In June, hundreds of ships from around the world gathered Tuesday off Portsmouth as part of the Trafalgar commemorations, culminating in a battle recreation using replica 19th century ships and a blaze of pyrotechnics.