The Sailor
24-02-2008, 12:00
The Royal Oak in Scapa Flow
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Shortly after 1am on Saturday 14th October 1939, a German U boat torpedoed HMS ROYAL OAK as she lay at anchor in Scapa Flow, which resulted in the death of over 800 of the crew. Many of the crew died in their beds, others while they kept watch and some in the icy waters of the Flow as they battled to swim to safety.
Two separate torpedo attacks were carried out, the first at four minutes past one in the morning struck just under the bow, and word quickly got round the ship that the jolt was in fact due to a malfunction in one of the machinery spaces. Meanwhile, investigations into the cause of the explosion were being carried out in the ROYAL OAK and U 47, under the command of Kapitanleutnant Gunther Prien, was busy reversing course to fire a torpedo from her stern tube. The torpedo was fired but failed to detonate. The submarine then carried out a search for further targets but failed to find any so commenced a second attack on ROYAL OAK, firing three further torpedoes some twelve minutes after the first attack. From the second encounter the first torpedo exploded on the Starboard side somewhere beneath the Boys messdeck, whilst the second, slightly aft of this, devastated the Stokers messdeck. The third torpedo wreaked similar havoc to the Marines messdeck. One of the hits also involved a small arms magazine and the ship immediately began to list as balls of flaming cordite incinerated anything that would burn as they blasted through messdecks and passageways. Many of the crew were burned alive as they slept in their hammocks; others were badly scalded as clouds of steam engulfed them.
Most of the crew were asleep in the citadel below the armour-plated deck. Hatches through this deck were protected by a 2" armour plate and were mounted on runners. As the ship began to list to starboard, the armour plates began to slide across the hatches, cutting off the means of escape for the crew and unless someone pulled on the toggle that opened the hatch, escape was impossible. It was not possible to pull on the toggle and climb through the hatch at the same time. As the ship listed further to starboard, water cascaded into her through the portholes, the first row of which were situated only ten feet above the sea. To assist with ventilation whilst in harbour, many of the portholes were open, and wooden light excluding ventilators masked the portholes to preserve the blackout that was in force.
HMS ROYAL OAK took only 13 minutes to turn completely over and sink with over 800 men still trapped inside her. A few men escaped from the portholes after she sank by removing the wing nuts on the light excluding ventilators, and, floating to the surface, they emerged in a sea thick with furnace fuel oil, which was escaping from the ruptured fuel tanks. The thick, tar like, substance made swimming very difficult and everyone in the water were coated thickly with the oil; some even swallowed large quantities of it.
HMS PEGASUS, anchored some 1500 yards north of ROYAL OAK, alerted by the initial explosion, sent one boat to investigate. On hearing the explosions from the second attack, PEGASUS sent all boats to the rescue. Before daylight dawned it became apparent that ROYAL OAK had sunk with a loss of 833 officers and men, whilst some 420 or so crew members were rescued.
A Tribute to the Royal Oak
A wreath of flowers cast on the sea,
Oh! how we still grieve for thee,
for you who lie 'neath enervating wave,
you, who went to watery grave.
The sun shines bright in the sky above,
as we pay tribute to those we loved.
The sea is calm, the waves are still,
to us it seems such a bitter pill,
that you should lie deep, fathoms below,
entombed in the depths of Scapa Flow.
A wreath of flowers floats on the sea,
cast by comrades who remember thee.
Rest in peace, dear comrades, friends,
our thoughts are with you until life's journey end.
By Albert Ganley
The Boldon Bard
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Shortly after 1am on Saturday 14th October 1939, a German U boat torpedoed HMS ROYAL OAK as she lay at anchor in Scapa Flow, which resulted in the death of over 800 of the crew. Many of the crew died in their beds, others while they kept watch and some in the icy waters of the Flow as they battled to swim to safety.
Two separate torpedo attacks were carried out, the first at four minutes past one in the morning struck just under the bow, and word quickly got round the ship that the jolt was in fact due to a malfunction in one of the machinery spaces. Meanwhile, investigations into the cause of the explosion were being carried out in the ROYAL OAK and U 47, under the command of Kapitanleutnant Gunther Prien, was busy reversing course to fire a torpedo from her stern tube. The torpedo was fired but failed to detonate. The submarine then carried out a search for further targets but failed to find any so commenced a second attack on ROYAL OAK, firing three further torpedoes some twelve minutes after the first attack. From the second encounter the first torpedo exploded on the Starboard side somewhere beneath the Boys messdeck, whilst the second, slightly aft of this, devastated the Stokers messdeck. The third torpedo wreaked similar havoc to the Marines messdeck. One of the hits also involved a small arms magazine and the ship immediately began to list as balls of flaming cordite incinerated anything that would burn as they blasted through messdecks and passageways. Many of the crew were burned alive as they slept in their hammocks; others were badly scalded as clouds of steam engulfed them.
Most of the crew were asleep in the citadel below the armour-plated deck. Hatches through this deck were protected by a 2" armour plate and were mounted on runners. As the ship began to list to starboard, the armour plates began to slide across the hatches, cutting off the means of escape for the crew and unless someone pulled on the toggle that opened the hatch, escape was impossible. It was not possible to pull on the toggle and climb through the hatch at the same time. As the ship listed further to starboard, water cascaded into her through the portholes, the first row of which were situated only ten feet above the sea. To assist with ventilation whilst in harbour, many of the portholes were open, and wooden light excluding ventilators masked the portholes to preserve the blackout that was in force.
HMS ROYAL OAK took only 13 minutes to turn completely over and sink with over 800 men still trapped inside her. A few men escaped from the portholes after she sank by removing the wing nuts on the light excluding ventilators, and, floating to the surface, they emerged in a sea thick with furnace fuel oil, which was escaping from the ruptured fuel tanks. The thick, tar like, substance made swimming very difficult and everyone in the water were coated thickly with the oil; some even swallowed large quantities of it.
HMS PEGASUS, anchored some 1500 yards north of ROYAL OAK, alerted by the initial explosion, sent one boat to investigate. On hearing the explosions from the second attack, PEGASUS sent all boats to the rescue. Before daylight dawned it became apparent that ROYAL OAK had sunk with a loss of 833 officers and men, whilst some 420 or so crew members were rescued.
A Tribute to the Royal Oak
A wreath of flowers cast on the sea,
Oh! how we still grieve for thee,
for you who lie 'neath enervating wave,
you, who went to watery grave.
The sun shines bright in the sky above,
as we pay tribute to those we loved.
The sea is calm, the waves are still,
to us it seems such a bitter pill,
that you should lie deep, fathoms below,
entombed in the depths of Scapa Flow.
A wreath of flowers floats on the sea,
cast by comrades who remember thee.
Rest in peace, dear comrades, friends,
our thoughts are with you until life's journey end.
By Albert Ganley
The Boldon Bard