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HMS Royal Oak Memorial

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HMS Royal Oak Memorial

HMS Royal Oak Memorial

HMS Royal Oak Memorial

HMS Royal Oak Memorial

HMS Royal Oak Memorial

HMS Royal Oak Memorial

HMS Royal Oak Memorial

HMS Royal Oak Memorial

HMS Royal Oak Memorial

Address:
Scapa Bay, Kirkwall, Scotland

HMS Royal Oak was one of five Revenge-class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Launched in 1914 and completed in 1916, Royal Oak first saw combat at the Battle of Jutland as part of the Grand Fleet. In peacetime, she served in the Atlantic, Home and Mediterranean fleets, more than once coming under accidental attack. The ship drew worldwide attention in 1928 when her senior officers were controversially court-martialled. Attempts to modernise Royal Oak throughout her 25-year career could not fix her fundamental lack of speed and by the start of the Second World War, she was no longer suited to front-line duty. On 14 October 1939, Royal Oak was anchored at Scapa Flow in Orkney, Scotland, when she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-47. Of Royal Oak's complement of 1,234 men and boys, 833 were killed that night or died later of their wounds. The loss of the outdated ship—the first of the five Royal Navy battleships and battlecruisers sunk in the Second World War—did little to affect the numerical superiority enjoyed by the British navy and its Allies, but the sinking had considerable effect on wartime morale. The raid made an immediate celebrity and war hero out of the U-boat commander, Günther Prien, who became the first German submarine officer to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Before the sinking of Royal Oak, the Royal Navy had considered the naval base at Scapa Flow impregnable to submarine attack, and U-47's raid demonstrated that the German Navy was capable of bringing the war to British home waters. The shock resulted in rapid changes to dockland security and the construction of the Churchill Barriers around Scapa Flow. The wreck of Royal Oak, a designated war grave, lies almost upside down in 100 feet of water with her hull 16 feet beneath the surface. In an annual ceremony to mark the loss of the ship, Royal Navy divers place a White Ensign underwater at her stern. Unauthorised divers are prohibited from approaching the wreck at any time under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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HMS Royal Oak Memorial Videos

HMS Royal Oak Hologram - Orkney Museum

The HMS Royal Oak was a Revenge-class battleship of the British Royal Navy, the first battleship sunk in the Second World War whilst she was anchored in the Scapa Flow, off the coast of Orkney, Scotland. She was torpedoed by a German U-47 submarine on October 14, 1939, and lost 833 of her crew.

In Memory of H.M.S Royal Oak

In Memory of Royal Oak 833 men who lost their lives

Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum

The Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum explores the importance of Scapa Flow as a base for the British fleet throughout history, concentrating on its role during two world wars.

It's centred around the former fuel oil pumping station at Lyness Naval Base, (HMS Proserpine) - including one of the tanks that once held 12,000 tons of fuel oil for the fleet, which now houses large exhibits.

Highlights include a collection of large military vehicles, cranes and artillery, audio recordings of service personnel and locals speaking about wartime, and relics from wrecks including HMS Hampshire and HMS Royal Oak.

There are plenty of children's activities as well as a gift shop and cafe.

The Museum is a two minute walk from Lyness pier. There's a 2 hour guided walk around the remains of the former Lyness Naval Base leaves from the museum at 11:00 each Tuesday (from early April onwards).

The museum is open March – October (Sunday opening during the period May-September) and admission is free. The popular Pumphouse Cafe is usually open from Easter – October.

For full opening times, visit

The Sinking of the Royal Oak on HISTORY

In two world wars, Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands was the northern base of the Royal Navy. From here, the mighty warships of Britains Home Fleet dominated the North Sea, and stood by to smash any German seaborne invasion.

But in the opening weeks of World War Two, it became the scene of one of Britains greatest naval disasters. Scapa Flow was supposed to be impregnable. But on a cold, dark night in October 1939, a single German submarine entered the bay. Minutes later, the great battleship Royal Oak was rocked by a salvo of torpedos. Her crew of more than twelve hundred had no warning, and little chance of escape.

This is the first time the full story of the sinking of the Royal Oak has been told on television. Using survivor testimony, archive film and CGI, The Sinking of The Royal Oak tells how one of World War Twos most daring raids became shrouded in controversy; how the tragic loss of more than 100 boy-sailors ended an ancient naval tradition; and how British complacency handed Hitler his first great propaganda victory of the war.

The Sinking of the Royal Oak 14th October at 7pm.
Visit the website

HMS Hampshire ROV Video Clip

Video clip showing some of the ROV footage from the survey of HMS Hampshire completed in May 2016. See our blog at more information. Thanks to Roving Eye Enterprises for the video footage.

HMS Hampshire

'HMS Hampshire

HMS Hampshire was a Devonshire-class armoured cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Armstrong Whitowrth, Elswick, Tyne and Wear and commissioned in 1905.

Hampshire saw service during the First World War and was present at the Battle of Jutland in mid-1916. Several days later, she was sailing to Russia, carrying Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, when she is believed to have struck a mine laid by a German submarine.

June 5, 1916, while sailing alone in heavy seas, Hampshire was approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) off the mainland of Orkney between Brough of Birsay and Marwick Head at 1940 when an explosion occurred and she heeled to starboard. The detonation had holed the cruiser between bow and bridge and the lifeboats were smashed against the side of the ship by the heavy seas when they were lowered.

Lord Kitchener and his staff did not survive.

Of over 600 personnel aboard her at the time, only 12 survived.'

Royal Marines and Navy arrival @ the Cenotaph whitehall London 2016

Centenary of the Battle of Jutland commemorated BBC News

The centenary of the Battle of Jutland is being commemorated in Rosyth and South Queensferry.
More than 6,000 Britons and 2,500 Germans died in the Battle of Jutland, which involved around 250 ships.
Caroline Hawley reports.
Read more
Battle of Jutland centenary to be commemorated

Scapa Flow

Scapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. The Harbour Authority area of Scapa Flow in Orkney has been measured as part of a wider consultation in ballast water management in 2013, and it has been accurately calculated that Scapa Flow is 324.5 square kilometres in area and that this area contains just under 1 billion cubic metres of water. This statistic makes Scapa Flow the second largest natural harbour in the World after Sydney Harbour, Australia. Scapa Flow is one of Britain's most historic stretches of water - located within the Orkney Islands, off the northeast coast of Scotland. Its sheltered waters have been used by ships since prehistory and it has played an important role in travel, trade and conflict throughout the centuries - especially during both World Wars. It is currently a world famous diving location with the wrecks of the scuttled German Fleet offering unique diving challenges. Scapa Flow is also a major oil port and served the Flotta Oil Terminal and is a prime location of ship-to-ship transfers of crude oil product and liquefied natural gas. The world’s first ship to ship transfer of LNG took place in Scapa Flow in 2007.

This video is targeted to blind users.

Attribution:
Article text available under CC-BY-SA
Creative Commons image source in video

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