Remembrance of the “Drava” Ship heroes
Today, on 12th April, the members of the River Flotilla of the Serbian Army marked Remembrance Day commemorating the heroic commander and crew of the Royal “Drava” Ship, who were killed defending the freedom of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia from the river in World War II and paid tribute to the heroes of the April War in 1941.
The Commander of the River Flotilla, Captain Andrija Andrić laid flowers on the grave of Lieutenant 1st Class Aleksandar Berić in Belegiš and a laurel wreath at 1,287th navigable kilometre of the Danube - the site where the warship sank. Although the River Flotilla is engaged in numerous tasks in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic in the Republic of Serbia, it does not forget its heroes.
On the deck of the “Drava” river monitor, 78 crew members, led by the ship's commander Aleksandar Berić, gave their lives, defending the freedom and honour of their fatherland, faithfully given oaths and seamen’s vows to prevent the ship from falling into the hands of the enemy.