30 June 2005 - 3 July 2005

IFOS 2005 promised to be the biggest and best ever. Although the annual festival has been held in Portsmouth before - in 1998 and 2001 - this years event was on a different scale. The four day extravaganza represented a once-in-a-lifetime to remember one of Britain's greatest achievements - victory at Trafalgar. Aware of the significance of the date organisers began planning the event in 2000 well before the last IFOS event in 2001, had even begun. Some 250,000 visitors poured through the dockyard gates four years ago, this year the bar has been raised even higher with an unprecedented spread of attractions from around the world. As well as the biggest gathering of Warships and tall ships from across the globe, there was a massive selection of off water entertainment. There was am impressive gathering of naval hardware, aided somewhat by the  presence in the previous few days of the fleet for the Trafalgar celebrations. 27 foreign navies attended. there was an amazing battle enactment as well around 14:00 each day (see separate section to this page) Even though the event was hampered a little by the British weather the organisers were to be congratulated on a huge success. the only comment your scribe would add it that park and ride should be extended to the Gosport side as well as Portsmouth, a parking nightmare ensued for those of us who wanted to have a boat ride before we entered the event, maybe something that could be looked at for future IFOS events. Although it did mean another couple of miles being pedalled by my tired legs to say it was my first IFOS I will certainly be back in two years (if that is when it comes back to Portsmouth) a visit to the past present and future all in one day, plus the pleasure of meeting all the different cultures and the warship crews all too eager to show you round their ships. Only word of warning watch the steep stairs, and mind your head!!!! 

As part of the daily air and sea power demonstration the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force joined force in a mock battle entitled "Swift Strike" The scenario was that on a fictitious island called "Archipelago" off Western Africa a rebel force began to move arms and ammunition using small craft in support of an insurgency on the mainland. The democratically elected government which has good relations with the UK requested that the British Armed Forces assist in gathering intelligence on the rebels activities. After Royal Air Force and Royal Navy aircraft conducted an aerial reconnaissance over the island the pace is quickened as the rebels decide to take on the British Forces, the ensuing battle commenced with pyrotechnics until the final defeat of the rebels. The demonstration included Royal Navy Sea Harries, Lynx and Sea King helicopters, Royal Marine Lynx's and Royal Air force Tornado GR.4, a VC-10 tanker, a Nimrod and a Chinook.

Tall ships

An amazing array of tall ships attended the event, it made  it seem that history had been re-run, all those tall masts and wooden decks certainly a sight. Navies would not normally cover such ships as they are outside our remit however the sight of them made us make an exception on this occasion! The Grand Turk had played the part of HMS Victory during the celebrations of Trafalgar