A DISPLAY which charts a city's special relationship with its adopted warship opens today.

The exhibition at the Museum and Winter Gardens, in Sunderland, coincides with HMS Ocean receiving the first honorary freedom to be awarded by Sunderland since it became a city in 1992.

The ceremony on Monday will be the culmination of a nine-year relationship between the crew of the Royal Navy's largest ship and the people of Sunderland.

It will be followed by the ship's crew parading through the streets of the city, led by the Band of HM Royal Marines, before returning to the Civic Centre for a reception.

Photographs and memorabilia relating to the ship and its crew will form a major part of the display, which will be on show in the museum for a month.

The relationship with HMS Ocean began in July 1995, when it was announced that it was to be the city's new adopted ship, replacing HMS Arrow, which was decommissioned in 1993.

Members of the public will be able to see HMS Ocean when it makes an appearance at this weekend's Sunderland International Airshow.

They are also being urged to come along and cheer on the freedom parade, which lines up on the parade ground outside the Civic Centre at 3.15 pm on Monday, before setting off on its march through the streets of the city at 3.50pm.

The following day, members of the public will be able to board HMS Ocean when the ship holds an open day.