Ceremony Held at HMS Royal Oak Memorial

Under a grey sky on Scapa Flow in Orkney on October 14, more than 100 people gathered to pay tribute to more than 830 men who lost their lives on HMS Royal Oak.

Marking the 75th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Revenge-Class battleship, a shore side ceremony at the HMS Royal Oak Memorial in Scapa was followed by a wreath-laying above the wreck of the ship in Scapa Flow.

HMS Royal Oak sank in Scapa Flow with the loss of 834 lives after being hit by torpedoes from German U-Boat U-47.

Launched in 1914 and in service in 1916, the ship saw service in the First World War, including the Battle of Jutland.

The torpedo strikes which claimed the ship and so many lives were delivered barely a month into World War 2.

It is thought that the 75th commemoration, organised by the HMS Royal Oak Survivors Association and the Royal British Legion Scotland, will be the last major memorial event to the sinking of HMS Royal Oak, though smaller services will continue in future and the White Ensign will continue to be exchanged.

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Image: Frank Bradford