AN Okehampton sailor has played a part in a moving visit to a wreck off the French coast by a party of survivors of one of Britain's worst wartime maritime disasters.
Able Seaman Jason Ashley, who is serving with the Royal Navy's fishery protection ship HMS Shetland, was chosen by his commanding officer to look after the survivors of the HMT Lancastria, an ex-Cunard liner bombed by the Germans during the evacuation of France.
Able Seaman Ashley made sure the 40-50 survivors, many of them invalids or wheelchair-bound, were well looked after on their trip to the wreck site, some ten miles off the French port of St Nazaire.
More than 7,000 people were on board the Lancastria when it was bombed. The ship had been used to ferry troops from Britain to Europe during the early part of the war but on the day she was attacked, June 17, 1940, she had been making her way to St Nazaire to collecting escaping troops and civilians from advancing German forces.
More than 4,000 troops, refugees, nurses and medical staff lost their lives when the Lancastria sank within 20 minutes of the attack.
The survivors, all members of the Lancastria Association, laid a wreath over the wreck site and thanks to the work of 'Ash' and his colleagues, were able to enjoy what could be their last opportunity to pay their respects to those that lost their lives at sea.
Ash, 32, joined the Royal Navy from school. He lives with his girlfriend in Okehampton when not at sea.
He specialises in missiles and is able to repair and maintain virtually any missile the Royal Navy has in its inventory.
After spending several years with the Fishery Protection Fleet, Ash is due to join HMS Dunbarton Castle, a Mine Countermeasures Command ship based at Portsmouth.