Hundreds queued up for the chance to see the big ships and hundreds of sailors, who are the stars of the three-day show.

Standing on the flight desk of HMS Illustrious, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard managing director Robert Bruce said: 'I'm so glad the show is finally here. Its a fantastic mixture of the thousand-year heritage that we have in Portsmouth and the bright future that lays ahead.'

Sean Flesher, 42, travelled down from Leeds last night to be ready for the start.

He said: 'I came to the Festival of the Sea three years ago and it was a great spectacle so I though it would be a good idea to come again. I'm here with some work colleagues and we are making a whole weekend of it.'

The hordes of visitors will be given the opportunity to board the navy's ships and to meet the sailors who represent us around the world.

The Red Arrows will soar across the sky in a spectacular display later this afternoon.

Three different zones of navy history will greet you upon entrance to the historic dockyard, with the past, the present and the future zones, representing the journey that the Royal Navy has taken, and what it has to look forward to.

And one of the major attractions of the three-day weekend kicked off yesterday morning, as Commodore David Steel flew through the air on a zipwire.

The zipwire, which is 46ft above the ground, and nearly 200m long, will be open for members of the public to test their nerve all weekend, with all the profit going to the Marie Curie Cancer Trust.

And after Commodore David Steel had got his feet safely back on firm ground he admitted it was a worthwhile experience.

'It was absolutely fantastic. What a way to arrive into the naval base. I want to go straight back and do it again.

'I was pretty nervous at the top but coming down there is a wonderful sight.'

And Commodore Steel said the weekend is an excellent opportunity for the public to understand more about the Royal Navy.

'This is a chance to meet some very brave people who have been in operations around the world, he said.

'The sailors are very good at showing off, and they are looking forward to doing that over the next few days.

'This is here to show the British public that they can be proud of the Royal Navy.'

Jacquie Shaw, spokeswoman for the Historic Dockyard, said: ' We want as many people as possible to come and see why the navy is so important not just to the city but to the region.'

ruth.scammell

@thenews.co.uk