Ashes placed in battleship grave

The wreck has been designated as a war grave

The ashes of a woman whose husband died when a Royal Navy ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat have been placed inside the wreck.

Dorothy Golding, 94, who died last November, lost her husband Arthur when HMS Royal Oak went down with the loss of 833 lives at Scapa Flow, off the Orkney coast, on 14 October, 1939.

It is believed to be the first time a person's ashes have been interred inside the ship, which is now considered to be a war grave.

More than 800 crew lost their lives

Mr Golding, who was 35 at the time of his death, had been assigned to the Royal Oak in his job as a bandmaster with the Royal Navy.

Mrs Golding, from Gosport, Hampshire, never re-married.

The couple had two children and Mrs Golding also served in the Royal Navy.

Charlie Miller, vice-chairman of the Kirkwall branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland, said the event coincided with an annual service held at the site of the wreck.

He said the couple's grandson, an experienced diver, dived down to place his grandmother's ashes at the site.

Mr Miller said: "I think it's very appropriate."

The Royal Navy has announced new plans to deal with oil leaking from the wreck, which Orkney Island Council said has been happening at the rate of 1.5 tonnes per week.

Two previous attempts to tackle the problem by trying to contain the leakage have failed, and the Ministry of Defence now plans to remove the estimated 1,800 tonnes of oil.