Anzac commemorations at sea

Celebrity is one of the cruiselines sailing an Anzac Day itinerary to commemorate
the 100th Anniversary of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli (photo: wikicommons)

A colleague of mine will be aboard this sailing, which I found interesting, so I thought I would share it here.

The Battle of Gallipoli was a World War I campaign that took place on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Ottoman Empire between April 25, 1915 and January 6, 1916. The tiny, scenic cove where the troops came ashore is now known as Anzac Cove.

Observed on April 25th each year, Anzac Day was originally to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli. In Australia and New Zealand, Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance that broadly commemorates lives lost in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Tonga - and parts of Canada (role of the Royal Newfoundland at Gallipoli).

On April 25, 2015, the 100th anniversary of the start of the conflict, there will be a service at dawn at ANZAC Cove, which will be televised worldwide. Learn more on the Gallipoli 2015 website.

Here's how the anniversary will be commemorated on the Celebrity Constellation:

• The August 22, 2015 sailing of the Celebrity Constellation will commemorate the anniversary
• On ANZAC Day, the Constellation will sail close to Turkey's Gallipoli Peninsula at Anzac Cove, where the troops came ashore
• Passengers will be invited up on deck at dawn for the call of the bugle
• The ship's Captain will ceremoniously lay a wreath out to sea
• The televised coverage will be shown onboard, followed by a special service for passengers
• Peter Donovan, noted historian, author and keynote speaker, will make presentations onboard, and point out any discernable memorials and cemeteries
• Later in the day, the Constellation will call at nearby Canakkale for an overnight stay; this will allow passengers to visit tiny, scenic Anzac Cove the following day

There are more substantive commemorations taking place on the Azamara Journey on the official ANZAC Centenary Cruise, in partnership with the Australian National Geographic Society. Even if you aren't interested in going, the website makes for a pretty interesting read (you can even download the ANZAC Centenary Cruise brochure).

If you are interested in being onboard, as I write this there is still space on the Celebrity Constellation sailing. If you want to try to secure a cabin, or visit the area in the future, please contact me.