A seaman who has spent his life on the waves has been invited to mark the commissioning of the Royal Navy's latest minesweeper.

Bob Bodle survived the perils of life aboard the battleships and destroyers of the Second World War.

He avoided injury in the North Sea during the Icelandic cod wars and has a chest full of medals to mark more than 40 years in the Royal Navy.

Mr Bodle, 80, was also in charge of the Royal Barge for more than ten years when it was based at HMS Sussex in Shoreham harbour.

The British Empire Medal recipient took the Queen on a tour of Brighton Marina when she opened it in 1979.

He also took charge of the operation to take the Royal Barge by road from Shoreham to Windsor when the Queen refused to use any other boat for a review of vessels on the River Thames.

Having spent many years serving on minesweepers, Mr Bodle, of Ingram Crescent, Hove, took a keen interest in the Navy's latest ship, HMS Shoreham.

He went aboard the Sandown-Class mine-sweeper when she visited Shoreham harbour earlier this year.

With a little help from The Argus, he has been invited to the ship's commissioning ceremony.

It will take place as part of Shoreham Port Authority's open day at the harbour on July 20.

Mr Bodle's daughter Linda saw a report in The Argus of HMS Shoreham's visit and asked if we could help to get him an invite.

She said: "He joined the Navy when he was a boy of 14 and served in the Atlantic and Pacific during the war.

"He served in minesweepers helping to clear mines from the Mediterranean after the war.

"He later became a Chief Petty Officer Cox based at HMS Sussex in Shoreham harbour until he retired.

"He was thrilled by his visit to HMS Shoreham and we thought it would be nice if we could get him invited to the commissioning ceremony.

"We would like to thank The Argus for its help."

Mr Bodle served aboard the battleship HMS Ramilles during the battle of Taranto in the Mediterranean.

It carried a formidable array of weapons, including eight 15in guns which could hit targets more than 14 miles away.

He served aboard the destroyers HMS Agincourt and HMS Armada and the minesweepers HMS Fierce and HMS Stormcloud.

Mr Bodle was recently invited aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious by one of its officers, a cadet he trained.

Mr Bodle said: "Illustrious was at Taranto so the crew celebrates the anniversary of that battle.

"Although I was a very senior Chief Petty Officer Cox, I was not a commissioned officer and thought I would feel out of place in the ward room with Admirals.

"I was persuaded to go and it was probably the best night of my life.

"After dinner they re-enacted Taranto in the ward room with model aircraft on wires dropping bombs and torpedoes. It was incredible.

"There were Admirals there with only one campaign medal and they were all intrigued to see all mine and hear about the action I had seen.

"I was the only one there who had actually been at Taranto so they treated me almost like the star of the evening."