HMS Royal Oak (08)
| Name | HMS Royal Oak (08) | ||
| Type: | Battleship (Royal Sovereign) | ||
| Tonnage | 29.150 tons (one of the largest ships sunk). | ||
| Completed | 1916 - Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth | ||
| Owner | The Admiralty | ||
| Homeport | |||
| Date of attack | 14 Oct, 1939 | Nationality:  British | |
| Fate | Sunk by U-47 (Günther Prien) | ||
| Position | 58.55N, 02.59W - Grid AN 1610 - See location on a map - | ||
| Complement | 1208 officers and men (833 dead and 375 survivors). | ||
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| History | | ||
| Notes on loss | At 01.16 hours on 14 Oct, 1939, U-47 fired a spread of three torpedoes at HMS Royal Oak (08) (Capt W.G. Benn, RN) and the British seaplane tender HMS Pegasus lying at anchor in the harbour of Scapa Flow, turned around and fired a stern torpedo at 01.21 hours. Prien misidentified the seaplane tender as HMS Repulse (34) and claimed a hit, but a torpedo apparently hit the starboard anchor chain of the battleship and did not damage the ships. At 01.23 hours, the U-boat fired a second spread of three torpedoes that hit HMS Royal Oak (08) on the starboard side and caused a magazine to blew up. The battleship rolled over and sank in 19 minutes. | ||
| More info | |||
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