A shipping magnate who served in the Royal Navy has made history after donating £20m to the National Maritime Museum.
The gift, believed to be the biggest single donation by an individual to a cultural project in the UK, was made by Romanian Israeli Sammy Ofer.
It will be used to create a new wing at the museum in Greenwich, to house exhibition galleries, an archive centre, learning space, restaurant, cafe and shop.
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Work is to start on the £35m project next year and is to be completed in time for the London Olympics in 2012.
Mr Ofer, 86, who served in the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during the Second World War, said:"I look forward to helping this hugely exciting project and believe it will be a great step forward for the museum."
Lord Sterling, chairman of the National Maritime Museum, said: "Sammy is a man who has been key to the global maritime industry for many years and who, through his close relations with the London shipping community and the City of London, has formed an admiration and respect for the long maritime history of this country."
The gesture was also praised by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who said: "Our maritime story is Britain's national story.
"This generous donation by Mr Ofer will help to ensure that current and future generations understand better the crucial role played by the sea in our history and the lives of those who depended upon it."
Mr Ofer, who lives in Monaco, founded an international shipping group which operates a significant part of its fleet from London, with more than 90 vessels flying the Red Ensign.
He is friends with Lord Sterling, and offered to donate towards the new wing following a tour of the National Maritime Museum.
"The chairman was showing him around and he wanted to help out," said a spokesman for the museum.
The National Maritime Museum is the largest museum of its kind in the world. In 1997 Maritime Greenwich was declared a World Heritage site.
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