The bullet which killed Admiral Nelson is among the items on display in Chatham to mark the 250th anniversary of the launch of HMS Victory.

The iconic warship was floated out of Chatham’s Royal Dockyard on May 7, 1765, and went on to lead fleets in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic War.

But it was in October 1805 that she achieved everlasting fame as Nelson’s flagship in Britain’s greatest naval victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.

A new exhibition at the Historic Dockyard reveals some of the little known stories leading up to the battle and the aftermath.

It contains objects on loan from the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth, including two impressive models of the ship, a stunning decorative sword, original letters and plans and, the centrepiece of the exhibition, HMS Victory’s figurehead.

Watch: The new Victory exhibition at Chatham dockyard

Also on loan is Nelson’s Bullet; the single lead shot which killed Admiral Nelson mounted on remnants of gold lace from his uniform and contained in a locket.

Nelson was shot through the shoulder by a French marine as he stood on the deck of HMS Victory.

The bullet was extracted from the wound by William Beatty, a surgeon on board at the time, but it had caused fatal damage to the Admiral’s lungs and spine.

The shot was still fused to lace from Nelson’s jacket.

It was mounted into a locket for Beatty which he is said to have worn for the rest of his life. On Beatty’s death it was presented to Queen Victoria.

Andrew Baines, curator and project director of HMS Victory, said Chatham was “the perfect place to begin an exploration of Victory’s story”.

Richard Holdsworth, education director at the Dockyard, said of the exhibition: “There are a number of insights that give a really different perspective on Chatham’s and the world’s most famous ship.”

HMS Victory: The Untold Story is curated by the award-winning historian, writer and broadcaster Brian Lavery, a leading expert in the career of Nelson, who has previously worked on the Historic Dockyard’s Wooden Walls exhibition.

It is open until May 31. Entry is included in the normal admission price.