Royal Navy boss demands nation preserves 'unsung hero' of D-Day that saved thousands of troops during invasion

Lightship LV72 guided a safe passage through a minefield in the waves of the English Channel for the landing craft of the invasion force in June 1944.

The proud vessel – codenamed Juno after the landing beach it protected – has since been left to rot on a Welsh river’s mudbank.

Now Admiral Lord Alan West has ordered the nation steps up and restores the rusting hulk to its former glory – and demanded she is transported to a new home in Portsmouth.

In a plea to The News, the First Sea Lord said: ‘We all know that D-Day was the world’s largest ever amphibious assault and many tales have been told of the actions and bravery of the fighting forces that day.

‘Little has been said about the vast support fleet which prepared the way and guided in the ships to their assigned positions allowing 250,000 men to be landed from 5,000 ships.

‘In the days before GPS they were critical to ensure safe landing on the right beach in the dark in unfamiliar surroundings and hence to the success of the operation.

‘The lightship LV72 Juno is 117 years old but in surprisingly good condition. It would be a disgrace if this historically significant ship were lost to the nation.’

The craft was built for the Trinity House Lighthouse and Light Vessel Authority in 1903.

She served across the UK until the Second World War, where she play a key role in Operation Overlord landings at Juno beach in Normandy.

Juno was 'demobbed' in 1972 and laid up in Swansea before being sold to a steel supply company in Neath for scrap the following year.

Previous attempts to rescue her from her muddy confines have failed. A similar lightship has since been transformed into the Trinity’s restaurant in Haslar Marina.

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Portsmouth’s culture boss Councillor Steve Pitt said he was ‘open’ to the idea restoring Juno.

But he said it would need to be supported by maritime restoration experts like the National Museum of the Royal Navy – which recently partnered with Portsmouth to overhaul a landing craft tank, which now features at Southsea’s D-Day Story museum.

Cllr Pitt said: ‘The preservation and conservation of nautical artefacts is something that is already embedded within the city’s culture.

‘Juno is one of those artefacts. So it is definitely not a no. But Lord West won’t getting anywhere running a sole campaign, he needs to approach the National Museum of the Royal Navy and they may well in turn chose to liaise with us and see whether that is something we could do for the city.

‘It is obviously important to maintain the past because if you don’t keep people aware of what went on and what an enormous operation D-Day was – the largest ever – then people will forget.

‘If Juno is part of the same story then I certainly wouldn’t dismiss those discussions out of hand by any means.’

The NMRN said it was unlikely they would get involved with a project to save the vessel.

A spokeswoman added: ‘The Lightship LV72 Juno, whilst clearly a ship of significance, was owned and operated by Trinity House; and as such is not a ship of the Royal Navy or its auxiliary forces.

‘Unfortunately she therefore falls outside of the museum’s charitable objectives. As the guardians of the 18 historic ships and vessels of international significance, the National Museum of the Royal Navy is well aware of the logistical and financial challenges of caring for a ship of this nature and we wish those campaigning for her survival well in their endeavour.’

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