A new exhibition tells the story of a Manx ship’s wartime exploits, and tragic loss, during one of the most dramatic moments in British history.

Mona’s Queen III was one of 10 Steam Packet Company vessels requisitioned for duty during the Second World War.

Twenty-four members of the crew were killed, 17 of them Manx, when the ship was lost on May 29, 1940, after triggering a magnetic mine during the evacuation of Dunkirk. Two other Steam Packet ships - the King Orry and Fenella - were lost on the same day.

The exhibition in Port St Mary town hall covers the ship’s launch, peacetime career, wartime exploits and tragic destruction.

Among the exhibits are letters home, pennants, clothing and other objects loaned by the families of the crew and the Steam Packet Company. Also present are models of various Steam Packet ships of the era.

The centrepiece is the original builder’s model of Mona’s Queen which was presented to the company in 1934 when the ship was launched.

The exhibition showcases video and photos captured by a Manx dive team which returned to the wreck in April 2023.

Years in the making and originally planned for 2020, the expedition was led by Dr Michelle Haywood MHK of Discover Diving.

Among the dive party was Stephen Knowles, great grandson of Lacey Knowles, one of the engineers who was killed aboard Mona’s Queen.

Dr Haywood told the Examiner: ‘I’m immensely grateful to all the families who have come forward to tell me about their relatives, share their stories and loan precious family heirlooms for the exhibition.

‘As much as this project was about the Mona’s Queen, it was also about the men who served on her, their families and the impact of their loss.’

‘This story is as important today as it was in 1940,’ she added.

The Mona’s Queen exhibition is open daily in Port St Mary town hall between 10am and 4.30pm and runs until Monday, June 5.

The annual remembrance service took place yesterday (Monday) at the Kallow Point memorial in Port St Mary.