Community / Memorial to those who died at sea unveiled in Lerwick
A MEMORIAL commemorating the services and sacrifices of local seafarers was unveiled at Hays Dock in Lerwick on Tuesday afternoon.
Plans to erect a merchant navy memorial at the Lerwick waterfront go back to 2015.
After a number of early setbacks the project got some momentum with a number of public funders, while individuals and local businesses also donated towards the overall cost of around £10,000.
On Tuesday afternoon a small crowd gathered outside the Shetland Museum and Archives to witness the low-key event.
Secretary of the Shetland Seafarers’ Association Callum Smedley said: “We felt it was important to remember the Shetland seafarers who went away, but didn’t come back.
“It is there to remember the men and women of Shetland who died at sea, whether it was war, accident or illness.”
Smedley said the association wanted to thank anyone who had help the project in any way, but particularly Shetland Amenity Trust for allowing the memorial to be placed at the museum, Hot Gecko Media for the design and engineering firm Ocean Kinetics for building the memorial.
It will officially unveiled in due course, when Covid restrictions and the weather allows.
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