The lives of 22 women who died onboard a ship during the Second World War were remembered at a ceremony in Weymouth.

Members of the South Dorset Association of Wrens (Women’s Royal Naval Service) gathered at the cenotaph on The Esplanade last Thursday to remember the lives that were lost when the SS Aguila sank 80 years ago.

The steam passenger liner, which set sail from Liverpool bound for Gibraltar as part of a convoy was hit by a U-boat torpedo and sank in the North Atlantic within 90 seconds on August 19, 1941.

In total, 152 people died. There were just 16 survivors.

The names of the 21 Wrens and one Royal Navy nurse who died when the ship sank were read out at the ceremony.

Dorset Echo: South Dorset Association of Wrens gather at the Cenotaph on The Esplanade, Weymouth Picture: South Dorset AOWSouth Dorset Association of Wrens gather at the Cenotaph on The Esplanade, Weymouth Picture: South Dorset AOW

A spokesman for the South Dorset Association of Wrens said: “The Wrens prayer was read along with the names of those lost at sea in this tragic incident.

"A wreath was laid and the standard was lowered as a mark of respect.”