Poignant memento of a valiant ship up for sale

Sep 17 2007 by John Shaw, Liverpool Daily Post

IT WAS a charming souvenir of a happy occasion, the launch of HMS Coventry at Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead in 1974.

But now the gold and diamond brooch presented to Lady Lewin, who sent the destroyer down the slipway, has become a poignant souvenir of the warship, sunk in the Falklands war 25 years ago.

Lady Lewin, who died aged 82 in 2004, was the wife of Lord Lewin, Admiral of the Fleet and Chief of the Defence Staff between 1979-82.

The 18-carat gold brooch is of abstract design accentuated by five diamonds. It is expected to fetch up to £1,200 at Bonhams in London on September 25.

John Millenstead, head of the medals department at the saleroom, said yesterday: "This brooch is one of the few remaining links with HMS Coventry which, because of her gallant service in the Falklands, makes it an item of great emotional and historic value."

It is being sold by Tim Lewin, the couple’s son, together with the ship’s crest, an inscribed wood shield presented to her by the officers and ship’s company. Mr Lewin said: "My mother was very flattered when they asked her to launch the ship and kept up a correspondence with its company through the ship’s newsletter right up until Coventry was sunk in May 1982.

"My mother gave the brooch to my wife but she doesn’t have occasion to wear it and so, after a lot of heart-searching, we have decided to sell and hopefully it will end up in appreciative hands.

"We have no-one to leave it to, and I think that, when you have these things, you have a duty to give them a continuing life rather than put them in a box and forget about them."

HMS Coventry was a Type 42 destroyer laid down by Cammell Laird in January 1973. She was launched on June 21 1974 and commissioned in October 1978.

When the Falklands War began, she was the first ship into action. One of her missiles shot down an Argentine Puma helicopter on May 9.

Coventry was one of three destroyers providing anti-aircraft fire for the fleet. But the loss of HMS Sheffield and damage to HMS Glasgow left Coventry to carry on virtually alone until other ships arrived from Britain.

A fortnight later, she took up position in Falkland Sound as a decoy to lure Argentine forces away from operations in San Carlos Bay.

But in this position very close to land, her missiles were less effective and she was struck by three of four bombs dropped from Argentine fighters.

Within 20 minutes, the destroyer capsized with the loss of 19 lives and sank next day. A memorial cross was erected on Pebble Island