Warship survivor remembers comrades

All but one of the crew died when HMS Neptune sank

The sole survivor of a warship which sank more than 60 years ago is launching an organisation to remember the 763 who died.

Norman Walton, 81, from Leeds, was the only man to survive when HMS Neptune sank in December 1941 after hitting a minefield in the Mediterranean off Tripoli.

Mr Walton, who was 20 at the time, survived at sea without food or fresh water for six days on a raft without food or fresh water before being rescued by an Italian ship.

Friends and relatives of those who died in the World War II disaster are launching the Neptune Association in London on Friday.

Vice chair Nixie Taverner, whose father Rory O'Conor was captain of the Neptune, said it was important to pay tribute to the crew members who died.

"We have formed it to commemorate a ship which has been sadly neglected and to honour those who lost their lives with her," she said.

"Norman, who is our president, will be the guest of honour. He's quite emotional about it at times."