Falklands War: HMS Sheffield memorial set to be unveiled

The memorial features a stainless-steel bow of a warship, suitably engraved and set in a dark, rough sea

The finishing touches are being made to a memorial to mark the 40th anniversary of the sinking of a Royal Navy destroyer during the Falklands War.

Twenty crew were killed when an Argentine Exocet missile hit HMS Sheffield, on 4 May 1982.

The memorial, resembling the prow of a ship breaking through the waves, was designed by artist Peter Naylor.

It is due to be dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire next month.

HMS Sheffield after the Exocet missile strike in May 1982 that killed 20 and injured 26 of its crew

It comes after the HMS Sheffield Association launched a fundraising campaign to raise £15,000 for the memorial - which has been created in Sheffield.

The memorial is also dedicated to the crews of two other Royal Navy ships to bear the steel city's name, and is intended to create a focal point for veterans and their families to meet and pay their respects, a Royal Navy spokesperson said.

Penny Salt, the widow of Capt Sam Salt, Sheffield's commanding officer at the time, has been asked to unveil the monument, which will be anointed with sea water from the South Atlantic.

Any funds remaining after the memorial has been placed will be divided equally between the National Memorial Arboretum and the The Royal Navy, Royal Marines Charity.

In total 255 British servicemen died in the Falklands War during the 74-day conflict

Mark Webber, from Tinsley Bridge Group, an engineering firm involved in creating the work, said it had been "an honour".

"Particularly at this time with what's going on in Ukraine, it's very real to us what those sailors did for the country and what 20 people gave their lives for," he added.