4. The loss of HMS Royal Oak at anchor was an indication of the professionalism of the German Navy
HMS Royal Oak was a battleship of World War I vintage, a veteran of the Battle of Jutland. In October, 1939 the ship was outdated in terms of speed. Nonetheless, the powerful guns carried by the battleship made it a useful weapon for shore bombardment. The ship was at anchor in Scapa Flow, the main fleet anchorage for the Royal Navy. Most of the fleet had been moved out of fear of a German aerial attack. Royal Oak remained its anti-aircraft guns of significant value to defense of the anchorage’s extensive shore facilities. Scapa Flow was considered safe from submarine attack by the British.
They were wrong. On the night of October 13-14, U-47, commanded by Gunther Prien, entered the anchorage on the surface. He took advantage of the moonless night to maneuver his vessel into position and fire four torpedoes. One failed to exit its tube, two missed, and one struck the battleship. Though the crew was alerted by the explosion, none suspected their ship was under submarine attack in the heart of the Royal Navy’s prime anchorage. Prien reloaded his torpedo tubes, fired another salvo, and scored three hits. Royal Oak went down in less than fifteen minutes, over 800 of its crew were killed. The U-boat escaped Scapa Flow, carrying Prien to a hero’s reception in Germany.