HMS Vanguard at Portsmouth  By  Ivan Berryman Proud flagship of Admiral nelson at the battle of the Nile. HMS Vanguard is pictured lying near the entrance of Portsmouth harbour at sunset in company with another Nile veteran HMS majestic. vanguard one of fourteen 3rd rate 74,s penned by the famous ship designer Slade was launched in 1787 and enjoyed a long and eventful career under numerous Commanding officers. in various roles until finally being broken up in 1821. The Battle of Copenhagen, 2nd April 1801 by Ivan Berryman  The key to Nelsons victories always lay in his meticulous planning and the Battle of Copenhagen was no exception as he used his fleet to first destroy the Danish floating defences so that his bomb vessels could be brought up to bombard the city itself.  The Danes eventually capitulated, but they had fought hard and over 2,000 men had died on both sides before the end of the battle.  In this view, HMS Elephant, carrying the flag of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, dominates the scene as the battle gathers intensity.  British ships depicted, left to right, are the Glatton (54), Elephant (74), Ganges (74) and Monarch (74). HMS Captain at the Battle of Cape St Vincent by Ivan Berryman  Viewed across the damaged stern of the 80-gun San Nicholas, Nelson drives HMS Captain onto the Spanish vessel in order that she can be boarded and taken as a prize, the British marines and men scrambling up the Captains bowsprit to use it as a bridge.  The San Nicholas then fouled the Spanish three decker San Joseph (112), allowing Nelson and his men to take both ships as prizes in a single manoeuvre.  A British frigate is moving into a supporting position in the middle distance. The Battle of the Nile, 1798 - The Burning of L Orient by Ivan Berryman. Nelsons annihilation of the French Fleet at Aboukir Bay was complete, but for the escape of Admiral Villeneuve who would again confront his nemesis just seven years later at Trafalgar.  Doubled by the British ships and ravaged by their relentless gunnery, the French faced utter defeat as the battle raged into the night. At the centre of the French line lay the massive three decker L Orient.  The British Alexander positioned herself astern of L Orient and began to fire mercilessly into her fragile stern galleries.  Within a short time, a terrible fire started that raged through her hull, eventually reaching her powder magazine, causing a massive explosion that literally blew L Orient to pieces.  In this scene, shortly before the explosion, Alexander can be seen astern of the burning L Orient, minus her maintop, and trying to move away in the intense heat.  To her port, the British Majestic is also starting to slip away while, in the foreground, the French Franklin is ablaze and threatened with being caught in the imminent blast.  At the extreme right of the picture, crews are racing to remove sails from the British Orion to lessen the risk of fire in the event of L Orients spectacular demise. Battle of the Nile by Ivan Berryman  Sunset over Aboukir Bay on 1st August 1798 as ships of the Royal Navy, led by Nelson, conduct their ruthless destruction of the anchored French fleet. Ships shown from left to right.  HMS Orion, Spartiate, Aquilon, Peuple Souvrain, HMS Defence, HMS Minotaur and HMS Swiftsure  The Battle of Trafalgar, 21st October 1805 by Ivan Berryman  One of the most decisive battles in the history of the Royal Navy, Nelson's defeat of the French fleet took place on 21st October 1805 off Cape Trafalgar and was conducted with not a single British ship lost, although few ships escaped severe punishment and loss of life on both sides was tragically high. In Ivan's painting, the flagship HMS Victory finally disengages from the wrecked Redoubtable, while the Temeraire, having broken from La Fougueux, remains locked with the French ship. At one point, all four ships had been on board of each other in line abreast, each firing broadside after broadside into each other. To the right of the painting, the French Bucentaure lies helpless, her vulnerable stern having been smashed by Victory's relentless gunfire. Frigate Action off Antigua by Ivan Berryman  HMS Boreas encounters the French Compas