Watch: Virtual memorial service marks Princess Victoria disaster

The borough’s Mayor, Cllr Peter Johnston, led the virtual memorial service for those that were lost on January 31 1953 when the MV Princess Victoria IV was taken by the sea as she made her way towards Larne.

Despite the valiant efforts of her crew, lifeboat men and other seafarers, the Princess Victoria foundered off the coast of Northern Ireland, within sight of the Copeland Islands near the entrance to Belfast Lough.

Some 177 passengers were on board including 49 members of crew, with the disaster claiming the lives of 135 people, 27 of whom were from Larne.

Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions, the annual memorial event was staged online.

Local historian Dr David Hume MBE also delivered a historical talk on Sunday, January 31 to mark the disaster’s anniversary.

For more on this year’s events, read here

Both commemorative videos are available to watch on the council’s Facebook page.

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.