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    © Imperial War Museums 2026

    Memorial

    HMS Dasher

    Overall View

    Source: Copyright Scottish War Memorials Project

    1/2

    Current Location

    Ardrossan Sunken Gardens, South Beach, South Crescent Road, Ardrossan, Cunninghame, KA22 8DY, Scotland

    OS Grid Reference

    NS 23276 42068

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    Names listed on this memorial

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    © WMR-9782

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    Type of Memorial
    Stone of remembrance
    WMR Reference Number
    9782
    Description
    Large roughcast rectangular granite stone with black plaque set into it. The plaque has an inscription in gold lettering and is flanked by five ship's badges, including that of the Dasher on top. The stone sits on a grass bank within what was the sunken garden on Ardrossan South Beach, and is surrounded by a sloping pathway.
    Inscription
    THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED/ TO THE OFFICERS AND MEN WHO/ PERISHED WHEN H.M.S. DASHER, /AN ARCHER CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER,/ SANK ON 27TH MARCH, 1943./ "WE WILL REMEMBER THEM"
    War
    Second World War (1939-1945)
    Additional Information
    379 men (of 528 on board) died when she sank off Little Cumbrae, this was not due to enemy action- see the Wikipedia reference
    Custodian
    North Ayrshire Council

    Components

    Stone of remembrance

    Height: c.1500 mm

    Width: c. 3000mm

    Depth: c. 2000mm


    Made from: Granite - Pink


    Condition: Good


    Plaque

    Made from: Metal


    Condition: Good


    • http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?t=3060&mforum=warmemscot
    • http://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/HMSDasher
    • BBC News Article about the release of documents relating to the incident to the National Archives in 2012-https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-17861288
  • Ardrossan Herald 15 Aug 2012- CONFIDENTIAL documents which are thought to reveal key details about the mystery of the sinking of HMS Dasher off the coast of Ardrossan are set to be released this Friday. Following requests to the MoD and National Archives from Ardrossan author, John Steele - who wrote The American Connection to the Sinking of HMS Dasher - and MP Katy Clark, the files will be released almost 70 years after the sinking. The converted aircraft carrier sank off the coast of Ardrossan on March 27, 1943, with the loss of 379 of her 528 crew - the biggest single loss of life of service personnel not to have been caused by enemy action of World War II.Since this date relatives of those who lost their life and historians have been trying to find out exactly what happened to cause the HMS Dasher to sink. John Steele said he has letters from the MoD which state they would not release the documents until 2028, or even 2044, until the death of nearly all servicemen and their relatives. He added: "They said they were trying to avoid any sensitivity which would be distressing to any relatives. "But it's going to tell for the first time what actually happened this Friday." For the full story see this week's Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald.