Portsmouth pays tribute to the nation's courageous seafarers during poignant service

Dignitaries and military leaders from across Portsmouth came together at a social-distanced service at the city’s Anglican cathedral on Sunday to honour seafarers past and present.

The annual spectacle, normally open to the public, was staged behind closed doors for a select group of invited guests due coronavirus restrictions on social gatherings.

The ceremony began at 11am with prayers and songs taking place inside the cathedral in High Street, Old Portsmouth. Wreaths were also laid and seafaring tales were read by city leaders.

Wearing masks, the small congregation then walked out into the wind and rain to stage a wreath-throwing ceremony a short distance away on the harbour wall near the Square Tower.

The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth Councillor Rob Wood hurled the wreath into the water following a short prayer by the Very Revd Dr Anthony Cane, Dean of Portsmouth.

Cllr Wood said: ‘It has been a very, very difficult day with the weather and the pandemic but I thought it went incredibly well. It was important that we continued this event.’

The hour-long cathedral service saw tributes being paid to all those who had been impacted across the globe by the coronavirus pandemic.

As the naval hymn ‘Eternal Father, Strong to Save’ was played, black wreaths were laid by Portsmouth MPs Penny Mordaunt and Stephen Morgan, as well as the leader of Portsmouth City Council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson, and Nomatemba Tambo, South Africa’s high commissioner to the UK.

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The Very Revd Dr Cane said the service was a poignant and emotional one.

‘The whole history of Portsmouth is bound up in the sea – there are so many stories linking to that go back centuries,’ he added. ‘So to have this annual occasion where we can recognise the key importance of the sea and those who sailed upon it and lost their lives – as well as those who work on the sea today – is really important.

‘It’s about what we are as a city. We did the best we could to keep all the important elements but with social distancing we weren’t able to have nearly as many people as usual.’

The Seafarers’ Service, which normally attracts hundreds of people, was live-streamed over Facebook. A video of the ceremony is available on the cathedral’s Facebook page.

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