Light exhibition to mark Penlee lifeboat disaster

The eight crew of the Solomon Browne died, alongside eight people on board the cargo ship Union Star

A candle-lit tribute will take place in Cornwall to mark the 40th anniversary of the Penlee lifeboat disaster.

At an exhibition about the tragedy in the Solomon Browne Hall in Mousehole, near Penzance, visitors will be offered a candle in a jam jar, organisers said.

People in the village will be asked to put the candles in their front window to create a "wave of light" down to the harbour on the anniversary.

The tragedy at sea saw 16 people lose their lives on 19 December 1981.

'Huge impact'

The manager of the memorial hall, Tamsin Harvey, said organisers of the tribute, due at 18:00 GMT, were hoping for a "wave of light ... that goes from the hall down to the beach".

Ms Harvey said: "We will have a lighting of all these lights that people will have, it should be a really poignant moment and a chance for us all to reflect.

"It had such a huge impact on the village, and it still does today."

The eight-strong crew of the Solomon Browne lifeboat, based at Penlee, near the village, perished when they were called out in horrendous conditions and hurricane-force winds to the cargo vessel Union Star which was in difficulty.

The Solomon Browne battled waves of about 60ft (18m) tall and winds at force 12 when it launched.

All eight people on board the Union Star, which was being swept towards the Cornish coast, also lost their lives.

A Royal Navy Sea King helicopter from RNAS Culdrose was unable to lift any of the eight crew from Union Star, and both boats were wrecked with no survivors.

The lifeboatmen made multiple attempts to pull alongside the Union Star before being overwhelmed by the conditions.