The Captain and ship’s company of HMS Hurworth gathered to mark the 70th Anniversary of the sinking of the previous HMS Hurworth during the Second World War.
The officers and ratings from the Portsmouth-based Hunt Class Minehunter attended a short service at Southsea war memorial, on the 22nd October, to remember the 131 lost in the Aegean Sea, near the Greek island of Kos in 1943 and laid a wreath in their honour.
Commanding Officer of the present Hurworth, Lieutenant Commander Ben Vickery, said:
“It is an honour to stand here with my ship’s company and pay respect to those heroes who went before us.
“It is always a sobering reminder of how much was sacrificed during the Second World War.”
The previous HMS Hurworth was a Hunt Class escort destroyer which, at the time, was based in Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt.
She ran missions to the Greek southern Aegean Islands regularly to create diversions for bigger ships to get through German defences in order to land allied troops.
On the evening of October 22 1943 the ship was hit by a German sea mine while going to the aid of the Greek warship Adrias.
Lieutenant Commander Vickery added:
“Today gives us all the chance to make remembrance more personal for us as a crew in our home port.”
A number of the crew will travel to the village of Hurworth-on-Tees for remembrance weekend in November as part of the national remembrance commemorations.
[mappress] Press Release, October 25, 2013; Image: Royal Navy