HMS Latona was commissioned on 4 May 1941 and later sunk on 25th October 1941 by German Stuka Bombers near Tobruk with the loss of 27 lives
This certificate was presented on the 28th May 1941, during her maiden voyage. The King Neptune Certificate is presented to somebody on a boat when they pass over the Equator for the first time. It measures approx 23cm x 34cm and is on light card rather than paper. It is an original pen and ink illustration. This is confirmed by very faint pencil lines being present in a couple of places.
The certificate is signed by Captain Stuart Latham Bateson (later Rear Admiral) His picture now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery
The picture is in remarkable condition due to the fact that it had been framed. A superb Item.