I was glad to invite the US Naval Attaché from the US Embassy in London, Commander Michael Sturm, to Plymouth to mark the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the SS James Eagan Layne.

The SS James Eagan Layne was a Second World War US Liberty ship which was beached in Whitsand Bay after being torpedoed by a German U-boat near the Eddystone Rocks on 21st March 1945.

Commander Sturm attended a flag raising at Rame Head as part of the anniversary event, which ran alongside a well-attended conference in Plymouth.

Both events were organised by the SHIPS Project, an excellent Plymouth-based non-profit that undertakes research and exploration of the surrounding waters.