Orkney Image Library

HMS Royal Oak was sunk whilst anchored in Scapa Flow on 14th October 1939, with the loss of 834 lives. The sinking was a result of a torpedo attack from German U-boat U47 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien, who had penetrated the inadequate defences of the anchorage, and subsequently made good his escape. Now lying almost upside-down in 100 feet (30 m) of water with her hull 16 feet (5 m) beneath the surface, Royal Oak is a designated war grave. In an annual ceremony to mark the loss of the ship, Royal Navy divers place a White Ensign underwater at her stern. Unauthorised divers are prohibited from approaching the wreck at any time.