Detail of the Merchant Navy Memorial, South Shields
Located at the Mill Dam, next to The Customs House the bronze and yellow ashlar monument depicts a sailor at the wheel on a sloping base to give the impression of what it is like to stand on a ship’s deck in a choppy sea. Overlooking the Tyne the statue was unveiled by the Duchess of Mountbatten, widow of distinguished naval commander, Lord Louis Mountbatten in memory of the merchant seamen who sailed from South Shields Port and lost their lives in World War II.