SEAFARERS past and present will pay tribute to serving sailors and those who have lost their lives at sea.

Comrades and families will gather for a service in Southampton on Sunday to mark Merchant Navy Day.

The annual event is an opportunity for shipmates and loved ones to remember relatives and friends lost at sea in war and peace and to pray for those still serving far from home.

This year’s service of commemoration will be led by new chaplain John Attenborough at the former Holyrood Church – which now serves as the city’s Merchant Navy Memorial Church.

The service, organised by the Merchant Navy Association Solent branch, begins at noon with standard- bearers forming a guard of honour.

The sermon will be followed by the laying of a wreath before two minutes of silence.

Branch secretary Douglas Pipier, who served as a merchant navy able seaman from 1950-60 and during the Korean War, said: “Southampton is a maritime city and there is an enormous number of merchant seamen in the community and we invite them and their families to come along.”

Guests will include Southampton mayor Cllr Sue Blatchford.

There will also be representatives from the Southampton and Netley branches of the Royal British Legion, The Master Mariners, fellow branches of the Merchant Navy Association and the Southampton Sea Cadets.