On 2 June 1984 tragedy struck the Marques. Of the 28 people aboard, 19 went missing including Shirley Cooklin’s son Ben.

They said it was a freak accident caused by the wind. For Shirley, something didn’t add up.

Last night Ben phoned from Bermuda, collect as usual. I’d asked – though heaven knows why as we avoid sloppy talk – if he still loved me. He had said, ‘Course I do.’

He would be home for a visit once the race was over. He could not say exactly when but would keep in touch.

It is early June: the third day of June, to be precise, and a day I will never forget. Something feels wrong. Better get up.

On 3 June 1984 the British-registered barque Marques set sail as part of the Bermuda-to-Nova Scotia leg of the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race. At about 4 a.m. the next day, close to 80 miles north of Bermuda, a freak wave enveloped the vessel. In less than 30 seconds, the whole ship went under. Of the 28 people on board, one body was recovered, and 18 others were missing, among them Shirley Cooklin’s 18-year-old son Ben.

Six months after the tragedy, Shirley receives a letter from America, asking for information on lawyers representing the UK victims. Intrigued, she begins to wonder what if this was not a freak accident caused by the wind? What if the whole thing could have been a gross act of negligence? And why is the Thatcher government so interested in this incident?

What follows is the biggest fight of her life to uncover the truth behind the cover-ups, deceit and lies. It’s the incredible true story of one mother’s lifelong search for justice.