The International Festival of the Sea was a festival held at H.M. Naval Base, Portsmouth between 30 June and 3 July 2005.Official souvenir programme It was the fifth in a series of

International Festivals of the Sea The International Festivals of the Sea were a series of maritime festivals, which were held in various British port cities between 1996 and 2005. The festivals were intended to be celebrations of the sea, bringing together sailors, musicians, arti ...

held in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

since 1996, and was also the final part to the long week of festivities that began with the

International Fleet Review 2005 The International Fleet Review was the most recent Royal Navy review, continuing a tradition going back to the 15th century. It took place on 28 June 2005, as part of the ''Trafalgar 200'' celebrations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of t ...

off

Spithead Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

on 28 June 2005. The event allowed people to walk around the Naval Base, to go on board all of the visiting vessels, including several vessels belonging to the Royal Navy and also for visitors to walk through the large sheds of the VT Shipbuilding group on site and see the parts of the

Type 45 destroyers The Type 45 destroyer, also known as the D or ''Daring'' class, is a class of six guided-missile destroyers built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy in the early 21st century. The class is primarily designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missil ...

, and being constructed there.

History

The first International Festival of the Sea took place in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in 1996 with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

as primary participants. Following the declining numbers of visitors to Portsmouth Navy Day's encouraged the Royal Navy to invite the festival to Portsmouth in 1998, followed again in 2001. Both events were highly successful with over 200,000 visitors to each. This was followed by the 2005 International Festival of the Sea as part of the

Trafalgar 200 The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (18 ...

and Sea Britain 2005 festivities to mark the 200th Anniversary of the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

References

{{reflist Trafalgar 200 Portsmouth Festivals in Hampshire 2000s in Hampshire

History

Sponsors

See also

References