William Gordon Benn, RN
| Born | 31 Jan 1889 |
| Ranks
Retired: 5 Mar 1946 Decorations
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Warship Commands listed for William Gordon Benn, RN
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| HMS Royal Oak (08) | Capt. | Battleship | 7 Jul 1939 | 14 Oct 1939 |
| HMS Fiji (58) | Capt. | Light cruiser | 28 Dec 1939 | 7 Oct 1940 |
Career information
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Events related to this officer
Battleship HMS Royal Oak (08)
14 Oct 1939
On the night of October 14 1939 Royal Oak became the first Battleship to be lost in the Second World War. A German U-Boat, U-47, under the Command of Günther Prien managed to penetrate Scapa Flow. U-47 proceeded to fire three torpedoes at the battle ship, none of which had any success.
The first torpedo hit an anchor chain, which didn't cause the crew no concern until the second hit the starboard engine room, destroying the emergency broadcast system.
A short while later the submarine fired three more torpedoes, this time with devastating effect. The Royal Oak blew up, rolled over and began to sink, foundering in 19 minutes. 833 lives were lost only 375 survived.
Light cruiser HMS Fiji (58)
1 Sep 1940
At 1800 hours on 1 September 1940 German U-boat U-32 attacked the Dakar Task Force in position 58°10'N, 12°55'W. HMS Fiji (Capt. W.G. Benn, RN) was damaged and was put out of commission for six months.
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