25 April 2012 Last updated at 02:00 ET <\/p>\n
A man who witnessed efforts to save sailors on a US liberty ship that sank in a storm off Wester Ross in World War II is to help commemorate the event. <\/p>\n
John Murdo Mackenzie was 12 when the SS William H Welch went down off Foura and Black Bay on 26 February 1944. <\/p>\n
Seventy-four American sailors died and 12 were saved by local crofters who walked over bogs in a snow storm to bring aid to the survivors. <\/p>\n
Mr Mackenzie and his grandson John, three, will carry a wreath on 7 May. <\/p>\n
They will hand it to the crew of a Maritime and Coastguard Agency helicopter crew to be dropped over the wreck site. <\/p>\n
Loch Ewe, in Wester Ross, was a gathering point during the war for Allied cargo vessels delivering supplies to Russia. <\/p>\n
During a week of events marking the Russian Arctic Convoys, Steve Chadwick, who wrote a book at about the SS William H Welch disaster, will lead a guided walk along the coast near the wreck site. <\/p>\n
Mr Mackenzie and his wife Chrissie were interview by Mr Chadwick for the book. <\/p>\n
The couple and their grandson John are expected to join the walk. The wreath will be delivered to the coastguard helicopter crew during the event. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Liberty ship sinking remembered<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 25 April 2012 Last updated at 02:00 ET A man who witnessed efforts to save sailors on a US liberty ship that sank in a storm off Wester Ross in World War II is to help commemorate the event. John Murdo Mackenzie was 12 when the SS William H Welch went down off Foura and Black Bay on 26 February 1944. Seventy-four American sailors died and 12 were saved by local crofters who walked over bogs in a snow storm to bring aid to the survivors Continue reading