A New Zealand naval ship that sank after smashing into a coral reef in the South Pacific was left on autopilot, an inquiry has found.

An interim report into the incident said human error was to blame for the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui, the first ship that New Zealand has lost since the Second World War.

Yvonne Gray, the vessel’s British-born captain, is originally from Harrogate, Yorkshire, and previously served in the Royal Navy before moving to New Zealand with her wife.

She became the target of online trolling in the wake of the £48-million ship’s sinking on Oct 5, prompting New Zealand’s defence minister to criticise “armchair admirals” and stress that Commander Gray’s gender was not to blame.

However, the report has revealed that the crew failed to realise the vessel was on autopilot. They wrongly believed that its failure to respond to direction changes was because the thruster control had failed.