her propellers and left her dead in the water. Aurora was unable to render assistance as she was already down to and needed to turn back to Malta. Penelope was also unable to assist. The destroyers and were sent into the minefield to attempt a tow. The former struck a mine and began drifting. Neptune then signalled for Lively to keep clear. (Kandahar was later evacuated and scuttled with a torpedo by the destroyer , to prevent her capture.) Neptune hit a fourth mine and quickly capsized, killing 737 crew members. The other 30 initially survived the sinking but they too died. As a result, only one was still alive when their carley float was picked up five days later by the Italian torpedo boat . The sole survivor, Norman Walton, spent 15 months in an Italian prisoner of war camp. In 1991, Walton travelled to the small city of Nelson, New Zealand, to unveil a memorial to Neptune. Of the 736 that perished, 150 were New Zealand sailors, including four from Nelson. A memorial service to Neptune and her crew is held each year in Nelson. See also First Battle of Sirte References Notes Sources External links HMS Neptune Association Leander-class cruisers (1931) of the Royal Navy Ships built in Portsmouth 1933 ships World War II cruisers of the United Kingdom World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Military history of New Zealand Maritime incidents in December 1941 Ships sunk by mines