Donaghadee RNLI lays floral tribute to commemorate Princess Victoria disaster

The volunteer crew paid their respects to all those who lost their lives 66 years ago on the 31 January 1953 with the loss of the MV Princess Victoria in the North Channel.

It was poignant that weather conditions during the exercise would have been akin to that experienced by the crews of Donaghadee, Portpatrick, Cloughey and Newcastle RNLI lifeboats and all the other vessels on that day as they battled to render assistance to those in peril.

A commemorative wreath was put into the sea by the lifeboat's Second Coxswain, John Ashwood who commented: ‘It was an honour to put to sea today and lay a tribute on behalf of the Sir Samuel Kelly Project to remember the 133 souls that were lost. It was very fitting that the conditions were challenging and made it even more poignant to think of what our former crew members had to face on that occasion.’

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