HMCS St John's (3) - 5 June 2019

In early June 2019, the Royal British Legion chartered the Fred Olsen Boudicca to take 250 D-Day veterans with companions and carers from Portsmouth to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of the landings. The veterans are now generally aged from 95 to 101 so this was a significant and moving event. The Halifax-class frigate HMCS St John's put to sea to follow Boudicca and HMS St Albans [qv].

The Gosport side of Portsmouth Harbour offers vantage points for such events but many are potentially obstructed by infrastructure and the masts of moored yachts. I worked hard with two cameras and using my height advantage over most of the crowd to get the pictures I wanted. This final image in a long series does show quite how busy the harbour was during the departure of the participating ships.

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