Storaa was a 1,980 GRT cargo ship which was built in 1918 by the Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Company as Wellpark for British owners.

Saint Edmond was raised in January 1943, and passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), regaining her previous name Storaa.

On 3 November 1943, Storaa was torpedoed and sunk by German Fast attack S 138 off Hastings whilst a member of Convoy CW 221.

[2] Wellpark was one of a series of six ships built by Greenock & Grangemouth Dockyard Company for Denholm Line Steamers Ltd, the others being Broompark, Denpark, Elmpark, Hazelpark and Heathpark.

Her port of registry was changed to London and the Code Letters GLDG were allocated, with the ship regaining her Official Number 142256.

[1] Her crew were imprisoned, but they escaped deportation to a German work camp when the Allies invaded French North Africa.

The Dover Strait and Wold Channel (known as Hell's Corner and E-boat alley), were the most dangerous sea passages in the world.

Of the total of 36 people on board, 22 were lost (master, 1st and 2nd officers, 2nd and 3rd engineers, steward, cook, 1 naval and 2 army gunners, and 12 crew).

Seven survivors from the Storaa were picked up by an English coaster which was also part of the convoy, the rest being rescued by an M.L., and all were taken to Newhaven.

In 1985 John Short purchased for £150 the salvage rights to Storaa, which lies in about 100 feet (30 m) of water some 9 nautical miles (17 km) off the East Sussex coast near Hastings.

Local historian and maritime archaeologist, Dr Peter Marsden, Director of the Hastings Shipwreck Heritage Centre, wrote to the Ministry of Defence in April 2000, requesting that Storaa should be designated under the Act.

On 25 May 2000, the Ministry of Defence wrote back, refusing the request on the grounds that the vessel was not eligible to be designated under the Act, because it was not in military service at the time.

In 2003, his daughters Rosemary Fogg and Valerie Ledgard made an application to the Ministry of Defence to designate the wreck to protect it as a war grave.

However, supported by Dr Marsden and by the Merchant Navy Association,[13][14] they launched a request for a judicial review of the decision,[15] which was heard by the High Court on 26 October 2005.

[16] The judge declined to decide on the legal issues of whether designation interfered with the salvage rights; on a dispute as to whether the wreck had been correctly identified; and on whether or not she was carrying tank parts or raw materials for the factory.