The sinking of the Royal Oak

In the first weeks of World War II, in the early hours of 14 October 1939, HMS Royal Oak was sunk by torpedoes from a German U-boat. The sinking resulted in the biggest loss of boy sailors in any single Royal Navy engagement before or since.

Find out how a German U-boat managed to breach the defences of Scapa Flow and sink one of the largest battleships in the Royal Navy.

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For a more detailed version of the events of 14 October 1939, watch the video clip.

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Learning and Teaching Scotland worked with David Turner, historian and author of ‘Last Dawn - the Royal Oak tragedy at Scapa Flow’, to create these online learning resources to mark the 70th anniversary of the sinking of the Royal Oak.