John McNeill Boyd was born in Derry and became a captain in the Royal Navy. He served in the Baltic and is remembered chiefly for his bravery in attempting to rescue a crew in the exceptionally fierce storm near Kingstown, (today Dún Laoghaire), which commenced on 8 February and continued for several days. No fewer than 29 ships were lost, and Boyd, captain of the blockship Ajax, perished along with five of his crew, while attempting rescue operations. His body was never recovered although some clothing items were retrieved. Several memorials to the tragedy were erected including one at Dún Laoghaire itself, as well as a statue in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. The RNLI. silver medal was awarded posthumously to Boyd and was received by his widow Cordelia, who was also presented with the Board Of Trade medal on his behalf. The events are often referred to as”The Boyd Disaster”.