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Enterprise pays respects to WW2 sailors
5 December 2019
Sailors aboard HMS Enterprise paid their respects to those lost aboard two Royal Navy warships during World War 2.
The survey ship, currently deployed to the Asia-Pacific region, held a memorial service at the site where battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battle-cruiser HMS Repulse were lost on December 10 1941.
Accompanying destroyers managed to rescue 2,000 survivors but a total of 764 souls were lost.
At the end of her latest training serial, Enterprise conducted a routing investigation of the remains of both ships before concluding with a memorial service.
Sub Lieutenant Jennifer Walton read a short summary of the events of 1941 before Commanding Officer Commander Cecil Ladislaus addressed his ship’s company.
“It is right and proper that we take some time to think about what it was like for them as they were attacked from the air - over two hours or so - before their ships were sunk.
“If we put this into the context of the 45 minute battle damage exercise serials which we experience at work up during the Thursday war, this is quite a significant amount of time in this heat, watching, hearing, smelling, and sensing the fight to survive.”
In memory of the fallen, a weighted white ensign was lowered into the water over the remains of the vessels and the Naval Prayer recited by all on board.