Families of St. George's pilots who drowned in 1927 paid tribute to the men in a wreath-laying ceremony.

Three wreaths were placed in the sea at the Guild of Holy Compassion Ceremony yesterday afternoon near Five Fathom Hole off of St. George's.

The Guild of the Holy Compassion — an organisation formed more than 90 years ago — held the service in the area where a pilot gig Ocean Queen sank in 1927.

Descendants of the men took to the sea for the ceremony which was also attended by the Veendam.

Passengers from the cruise ship lined the decks to watch the tribute.

The pilot gig was on its way to rendezvous with a ship off Kitchen Shoals but was lost in mountainous seas.

The men who died were Goulrich Richardson, Irving Pascoe, Ernest Tucker, George Brangman, Edgar Smith and Robert Gibbons.

Linda Somner, niece of George Brangman attended the ceremony.

She said: "We left Ordnance Island in the ferry boat and we went out to meet the Veendam. Reverend David Roth from St. Peter's Church was there to bless the wreaths and say a prayer for all seaman who have died at sea.

The three of us put wreaths overboard in the memory of our relatives. .

"It was very touching. I thought you know they risked their lives to help someone else and just going and participating, it was very touching and meaningful for me."

Dr. Derek Tully, secretary and treasurer of the Guild said of the ceremony: "It was quite moving, after all these years, to have relatives, grandchildren, great grandchildren etc at the ceremony with us.

"Mr. Harold Millett did a lot of the research for us to locate them. The bodies of the men drowned in January 1927 were never found.

"The pilot gig itself was found floating upside down off Elbow Beach several days later. The captain and staff of Veendam had informed the passengers about the ceremony and many of them lined the rails to witness it."

The Guild began laying wreaths at sea for sailors lost in Bermuda waters in December 1988.