Portsmouth Harbour, ca 1700 Portsmouth was among the most important naval ports in Britain. It was from this port that the squadron outfitted and sailed to Newfoundland each year. Detail from an engraving by Hulsbergh after Lightbody. From Frank C. Bowen, The Sea: It's History and Romance. Vol II (London: Halton & Truscott Smith, Ltd., 1926) 6.