One of the most extraordinary incidents of the Second World War in inshore waters will be commemorated on Thursday in a special wreath-laying ceremony on board Caledonian MacBrayne’s ferry MV Caledonian Isles.

The ceremony will take place as the vessel plies between Ardrossan and Brodick on the 1230 sailing along with the launch of a new version of the book "The Secrets of HMS Dasher" by John and Noreen Steele.

Aircraft carrier HMS Dasher blew up in the Clyde in March, 1943 with the loss of 379 crew, one of the biggest catastrophes in British naval history. Its destruction is shrouded in mystery however and few people beyond the shores of Arran and the immediate area in the Clyde know anything of what happened.

John and Noreen Steele have now written a new version of their famous investigation of what happened to the Dasher and have come up with some intriguing suggestions as to what may have happened in the aftermath. An amazing connection has been established with "The man who never was" – the famous Allied ruse to deceive the Germans about the likely point of mainland Europe invasion. The book raises more questions than ever about what may have happened to HMS Dasher.

Caledonian MacBrayne Managing Director Lawrie Sinclair said: "The evidence which John and Noreen Steele have assembled makes compelling reading. The Dasher story is one of the most intriguing of all wartime tales. Caledonian MacBrayne has several connections with that fateful night in terms of relations of current employees who were in the vicinity. That makes it all the more poignant that we are hosting the book launch and the wreath-laying ceremony."

The book launch will be attended by the writers, Royal British Legion representatives from Arran and the Three Towns Branch, Officer in Command, TS Gannet, Ardrossan and Brian Wilson MP who has written the Foreword. "The Secrets of HMS Dasher" by John and Noreen Steele is published by Argyll Publishing at £9.99.