Ceremony to honour sea war dead
 The ceremony is part of the Battle of Trafalgar celebrations
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People killed at sea during wars are being honoured by maritime veterans, royals and children in a ceremony for the Battle of Trafalgar bicentenary.
The International Drumhead Ceremony, taking place next to the Naval War Memorial in Portsmouth, remembers casualties from all nations.
Commander Tim Peacock said the event marked the "illustrious achievements" of maritime veterans.
Thousands of spectators watched Tuesday's fleet review off Portsmouth.
The Duke of York, Prince Michael of Kent and around 11,000 veterans are expected to attend Wednesday's ceremony on Southsea Common.
The event is expected to provide a mixture of veterans on parade, schoolchildren, sea cadets, live choirs, and a large Royal Marines band.
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 I am proud to have the privilege to organise such an event to honour maritime veterans of all nations and remember their illustrious achievements 
Cdr Tim Peacock
Drumhead ceremony organiser
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The Right Rev Kenneth Stevenson, the Bishop of Portsmouth, will lead the formal Drumhead act of worship accompanied by representatives of other faiths.
Children from around the UK have produced the ceremony's centre-piece, the Memory Mast, as well as art work and creative objects to be displayed in the Veteran Centre.
Their contribution comes after Royal Navy veterans visited schools to talk about their personal experiences as part of the Veterans and Schools initiative, which aims to forge links between generations.
The event's finale is expected to include a steam-past by a Royal Navy aircraft carrier and a fly-past by former and modern military aircraft.
Drumhead history
The planes on display are likely to range from the Spitfire to the Sea Harrier.
Cdr Peacock, the director of the International Drumhead Ceremony, said: "I am proud to have the privilege to organise such an event to honour maritime veterans of all nations and remember their illustrious achievements."
The Drumhead ceremony is thought to date back hundreds of years to when soldiers on the battlefield would parade on three sides of a hollow square.
On the fourth side, drummers would arrange their drums in the shape of a pyramid to make an altar, draped with regimental colours.
Trafalgar re-enactment
It is now a form of service used on ceremonial occasions.
On Tuesday fusillades of gunfire, blasts from cannons and fireworks helped re-enact the 1805 victory over France and Spain.
Prior to the event, 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.