Spirit of Orkney» Royal Navy

Royal Australian Navy to visit Scapa Flow

admin — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 07:55:40 +0000

The Royal Australian Navy are to present Orkney with a picture of HMAS Australia leading the surrendered German fleet into Scapa Flow in 1918. This visit forms part of the Royal Australian Navy centenary year events.

Scapa Flow, Orkney

Visitors from RAN include renowned Naval historian and Director of RAN’s Strategic and Historical Studies, Dr David Stevens, who has been commissioned to write a history of the RAN in the UK, and Commander Henri Nord-Thomson. Also visiting is retired Royal Navy Commander David Hobbs.

Ceremony

Councillor Eoin Scott will formally accept the gift to the Orkney public at a ceremony and public lecture by the three visitors on the connections between the history of the Australian Navy, Scapa Flow and Orkney in general, in the St Magnus Centre on Tuesday October 4 at 7.30pm.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Councillor Scott said: “Scapa Flow was at the heart of the allied war effort in WWI and II, and many nations played a vital role, including the Australians. The HMAS Sydney’s rescue boats were first to reach the stricken HMS Vanguard on 17 July 1917 following a massive internal explosion killing all but two on board, and HMAS Australia led one of two columns of allied ships surrounding the surrendered German High Sea Fleet into Scapa Flow on 21 November 1918.

“We are pleased to host this important visit which will help serve the memory of those who have served and died here in Orkney and stimulate interest in our rich wartime history.”

The group will be arriving in Orkney on the Pentalina, sailing into Scapa Flow past Hoxa and Stanger Head, affording a good first view of Scapa Flow. The trip will include a visit to The Royal Oak and Vanguard, on which two Australian sailors died, and the laying of a wreath at Lyness Cemetery.

Further information

Royal Australian Navy – Find out more about their 2011 Centenary celebrations.

HMS Royal Oak – 70th Anniversary article

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HMS Royal Oak 70th Anniversary

admin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:38:17 +0000

On 14th October 1939, HMS Royal Oak was sunk by a German Torpedo in Scapa Flow, off the southern coast of Orkney.

Scapa Flow had been a strategic Naval base since 1905, protecting Britain from German invasion via the eastern island inlets from the North Sea. With an area of about 156 square kilometres, it is a bay sheltered by the mainland to the north, south Ronaldsay and Burray to the east and Flotta to the south.

Following an earlier attempt to penetrate Hoxa Sound by a German U Boat in 1914, 21 block ships had been sunk on the Eastern approaches and anti-subamarine nets, boom defences and controlled minefields were added to secure Scapa Flow.

World WarII
During the first few weeks of World War II, nearly 50 British warships were in Scapa Flow including the cruiser HMS Belfast.

The western side of the flow near Lyness was their mooring, all except HMS Royal Oak and HMS Pegasus which were moored in Scapa Bay below Gaitnip.

The Royal Oak sank not far from where this tanker is moored

On a moonless night, lit only by the Northern Lights, a German U-47 entered at high tide under the cover of darkness, managed to navigate it’s way around the block ships and enter Scapa Flow via Holm Sound. 3,000m from the two ships, her Captain, Gunther Prien launched a devastating tripple torpedo attack on the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak.

One of the torpedos hit the bow causing little damage, in fact it is reported that the crew thought the explosion to be onboard in the paint store.

Three more torpedos were fired from the U-47, all reacing their target.

Royal Oak took only 15 minutes to sink at her moorings, taking with her 833 members of her nearly 1200 strong crew.

In Memory
The shipwreck site is now an official wartime grave and a memorial to those lost at sea, resides in St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall.

Memorial gardens were created at Scapa Beach.

Her resting position is marked by a green buoy and sometimes by small oil slicks as the last vestiges of fuel leaks from her bunkers.

An annual ceremony is held by the Admiralty, with divers placing the Ensign over the wreck site. Many of those present are survivors and relatives of the crew.

70th Anniversary.
On Wednesday 14th October 2009,the 70th anniversary of the tragedy. HMS Penzance will sail to the site of the wreck, where

Memorial in St Magnus Cathedral

HRH The Princess Royal is expected to lay a wreath on the water during a rememberence ceremony.

A parade featuring the Royal British Legion, youth organisations and local dignitaries, will take place on Sunday 18th October 2009 at St. Magnus Cathedral.

New book
David Turner, a nephew of Commander Ralph Lennox Woodrow-Clark, who died in the torpedo attack, is publishing a new book about the sinking.

Titled “Last Dawn”, it is hoped that the book will help keep alive the memory of those who died.

David has also filmed a video for use in the schools, to aid their understanding of the event.Similar Posts:

The Churchill Barriers

admin — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:30:43 +0000

Arrive at St Margaret’s Hope on the Island of South Ronaldsay and head North on the A961 to Kirkwall.

This drive will take you over the incredible four causeways linking the Orkney islands of South Ronaldsay, Burray, Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm.

A total length of 1.5 miles (2.3km). The barriers were originally built in 1940 as a naval defence, sealing off the eastern entrances to Scapa Flow.

Since 1914 these eastern passages had been protected by sunken block ships, booms and anti-submarine nets, but during the Second World War, On 14th October 1939, A German U-47 entered at high tide under the cover of darkness, managed to navigate it’s way around the block ships and enter Scapa Flow via Holm Sound. From this point she launched a devastating torpedo attack on the Royal Navy battleship HMS Royal Oak.

The great ship was sunk at it’s moorings taking with her 833 members of her nearly 1000 strong crew. A memorial has been erected in St. Magnus Cathedral on Kirkwall.

No1 Barrier

Further measures were needed to prevent more attacks, and to this purpose, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill ordered the construction of permanent barriers.

Balfour Beatty were awarded the contract and work commenced in May 1940.

Gabions containing 250,000 tons of broken rock, quarried on Orkney, were dropped into place 59 feet deep from overhead cableways. Locally-cast concrete blocks weighing five tonnes were laid on the core followed by ten tonne blocks placed on the sides in a random pattern to limit the impact of the waves.

Building the barriers from a painting by Domenico Chiocchetti

Much of the labour was provided by over 1300 Italian prisoners of war.

Captured during the North Africa Campaign, the Italians were transported to Orkney from early 1942 onwards.

800 were stationed at two camps on the Island of Burray and 550 at the famous Camp 60 on Lamb Holm.

The use of POW labour for War Effort works was prohibited under the Geneva Conventions, so the works were justified as ‘improvements to communications’ to the southern Orkney Islands.

These black and white images were taken from the many interpretation panels around the site.

The barriers were formally opened on 12th May 1945, just four days after VE day.

Rusting hulls of WWI block ships rest in the bay

Rusting hulls and masts of the 21 block ships sunk during the First World War, can still be seen in the sound and are a popular haunt for divers in the region.

All that remains of the Italian POW camps is the breathtaking Italian Chapel on Lamb Holm.

May also be of interest:

Orkney’s Italian Chapel
Orkney Island Council Marine Services – History of Scapa Flow
Undiscovered Scotland: The Churchill Barriers
BBC Legacies: Orkney’s Architectural Heritage
The Orcadian – The Churchill Barriers

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