A confidential folder from a US Navy warship currently involved in operations against Al Qaeda off Somalia has washed up on a beach near Bruichladdich on the Isle of Islay.

The yellow folder cover entitled ‘USS Anzio’ and marked ‘Confidential’ was found by walkers at an undisclosed location. Information from within the folder was missing.

USS Anzio, from Norfolk Virginia, is a guided missile cruiser of the Triconderoga class launched in 1990. This 173 metre, $1 billion vessel carries 2 Sea Hawks and armaments include Tomahawk cruise missiles, MK 46 torpedoes and Harpoon missiles.

An off-duty member of an elite Royal Navy unit based at the nuclear submarine base Faslane visiting the distillery overheard Mary McGregor, our shop manageress, discussing the confidential folder and alerted Royal Navy intelligence who contacted the distillery.

This is Bruichladdich distillery’s third run in with the intelligence services in as many years. Previous encounters have been with the CIA who admitted spying on the distillery via their web cams in their search for WMD; and the MoD and their lost ‘Yellow Submarine’ mine-destroyer.

You couldn’t make it up if you tried. We know who found it and where, but don’t want a good customer to get in to trouble. Who knows what it originally contained? The files may have been destroyed by the sea or eaten by sheep; equally they may have been stolen – who knows?

The war ship is currently stationed off the coast of Somalia with the US Fifth Fleet including Aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower assisting an operation in an effort to capture al Qaeda terrorists attempting to flee Somalia.

USS Anzio (motto: ”Stand and Fight”) was involved in ‘Comptuex’, a naval exercise off the island last year, part of the US Navy’s rapid deployment ‘Fleet Reponse Plan’ currently in effect. It is believed that this confidential folder was lost at this time.

The Special Branch sent local policeman Ian Mitchell to take possession of the folder.