Confidential documents relating to the sinking of HMS Dasher off Ardrossan on March 27 1943 are finally to be made public by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
A total of 379 crew members lost their lives when the Dasher sank in broad daylight, the biggest loss of life, not down to enemy action, during the Second World War.
Campaigners, including Ardrossan authors John and Noreen Steele, have been attempting to discover why the ship sank, and have been trying to get the Royal Navy to release casualty packs relating to HMS Dasher. Now, in a letter to local MP Katy Clark, the MoD has confirmed these will soon be transferred to the National Archives.
Reacting to the news, Katy Clark said, “I am delighted that the MoD has decided to make the HMS Dasher casualty packs public. Many questions surrounding the sinking of HMS Dasher have been left unanswered for far too long. Some relatives of those who died have been waiting for over 69 years to find out exactly what happened to their loved ones.”
The Labour MP for North Ayrshire & Arran expressed the hope that “the full facts surrounding this tragedy can now be brought to light and those searching for the truth can finally obtain some form of closure.”
Ms Clark concluded, “I will be doing everything I can to ensure these documents are made public as soon as possible.”
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