HMS ROYAL OAK Northern Diving Group, Wreck. 

One of my family members died on that ship. His name was Hugh Hunter Spicer.

The first time I went to Scapa Flow, it really made an impression on me. We (HMS Gloucester) were anchored there and seemingly not many of the sailors knew the significance of where we were and what was around us. I felt it whilst watching the otters and the wildlife and imagining what had taken place there in the past. We were pointed out as to where Royal Oak was, but I was on the upper deck on my own largely looking at the top of the water. I think it would mean even more if I went back, but having left the Navy, it will probably never happen again.

Such a loss, not only in human life, but the fact it changed the Royal Navy on it's legacy of children serving on ship. Cheers from the USA

I remember visiting the wreck whilst dividing at Scapa Flow. There was an atmosphere of melancholy whilst the skipper gentle manoeuvred his dive boat around the site. Ordinary public are not allowed to dive the wreck as looting took place back in the 1970’s The ship is really close too the shore and when you hear that so many lost their lives it’s hard to understand as they were so close, but apparently the first torpedo hit was dismissed and no alarm was sounded then a further two sealed their fate and the boat captain Günter Prién became a national hero who was taken out during convoy action I believe (the details of his demise are sketchy from my understanding) I would have liked to dive her but special permission would need to be obtained from the Royal Navy and the Orkneys council as it’s an official war grave protected from looting and scavenging scum - There were divers in my party who given the slightest chance would have no compunction in doing this for their trophy rooms smh. I believe these souls should be left to rest in peace and due respect afforded them, they gave their all for king and country.

This was nice, very respectful. And I liked the music, it was also nice without being annoying. Rest in Peace.

Massive respect to RN Northern Diving Group for changing the White Ensign every year in memory of those sailors.

Dove on the Royal Oak in the early 70's. It is a very dangerous wreck as it is almost upside down We came down on the bow but with a limited bottom time only made it back to the big guns. We viewed from outside the wreck as winches the size of a house and guns were just hanging there. The dive abruptly ended when we got hit by a shock wave made by a wreck being blown further south I'm Scapa. We all did a free ascent from 100 ft. Thank goodness for good training and preparation. I remember hitting the surface fast enough that my knees came out of the water. We then did a decompression routine and had no I'll effects.

Just about a year previously, the Royal Navy detonated a unexploded torpedo found in Scapa Flow. Most likely one of those fired by U-47. Also of note is that HMS Royal Oak was one of five Royal Navy battleships and battlecruisers sunk in World War 2. This is noteworthy because of the five, only one was destoryed in a ship on ship engagement, that being HMS Hood. The other four were sunk by submarine or aircraft. So Royal Oak was the first sign to the Royal Navy that while their battle fleet was impressive, time had passed it by. No longer was the battleship the ultimate naval weapon. Aircraft and submarines that taken that distinction. A battleship crewed by over 1,200 was sunk with nearly all hands by 60 men in a tin boat firing weapons it couldn't even see coming. They would be taught that lesson again by U-331, sinking the HMS Barham, crewed by over 1,200, with the loss of 2/3rds the crew. May all of them rest in forever lasting peace.

To the men of both the Royal Oak and U boat 47 may they all restin peace😢😩

I went there on a roving eye tour (underwater ROV) to see SMS Dresden. (Incredible to see the Karl Zeiss lens without a barnacle on them!) Then the Hoy museum. The Royal Oak memorial is easy to see and this was my bucket list from when I was at school. I’m 61 now. Read about it, dreamed about it and done it! Waters we’re crystal clear. The most magnificent thing that nobody that’s been there realises, is the size of Scapa Flow! No wonder it was the base for the Royal Navy in WW1

The fate o the HMS Royal Oak is similar to that of the USS Arizona being in the harbour where everything seems fine but actually it isn't quite far from it but yet the sailors on board had no clue. The ship capsized and sank within 6 minutes I think. Also throughout the war we only lost a total of 6 battlecruisers and battleships HMS Hood sunk 24th May 1941 battlecruiser HMS Repulse Battlecruiser December 10th 1941 japanese Air attack HMS Prince of Wales December 10th 1941 same fate as the Repulse HMS Royal Oak torpedoed by U47 in Scapa Flow on the 14th of October 1939 HMS Barham on the 25th November 1941 by Submarine U331 and lastly the HMS Centurion scuttled and sunk as a blockship on 7th June 1944 and that's it

It’s hard to swallow that so many seamen died on the ship during their sleep in a place they thought they was protected. I’d hate to be inside the ship once it hit the bottom in some air bubble and hearing all the sounds above the surface knowing I’m going to die inside the ship. RIP brothers.

A Battle of Jutland veteran, the crew must have been very proud to serve aboard her.

My uncle CPO Bill Russett was a RN diver and the first to dive on her to check out what had caused th e sinking. He had just surfaced when some of the bulkheads gave way .

Would have been nice to have some form of narration so that those unfamiliar with the ship would have some idea what they are seeing. If you can hear the air bubbles and the diver breathing surely some kind of narration would be possible.

I was in scapa flow last week. Dived all of the German battleships and light cruisers. Would be an honour to dive this

I'm ex Royal Navy and in 86/87 while serving on hms intrepid we placed a rest of flowers over her and had a service on the flight deck. I was only 18 at the time but felt very emotional. I'm glad it's naval divers inspecting her. Everyone else, leave her alone with her ships company still onboard.

awesome video, i didn't relise how inportent where i live was at the time, what's left off the remains of HMS Natal ar'nt to far away, RIP,

RIP HMS Royal Oak and crew.

It is very sad to know that many young sailors died by a german submarine. I pray for them.

A fairwell to the lost souls once a navy man always a navy man god rest their souls and that they may of once lived a free life but now rest with their pride locked in the royal oak sleep well brother forever more.

I didn't realize it's in such shallow water! Amazing!

Thanks for this. Eerie and evocative. Perhaps the most evocative part was the spotting top, with it's empty windows.

Rip royal oak one of my favorite British battleships of all time

Respekt an alle die Wrack Tauchen. Solch ein Hobby wäre nichts für mich: Ich glaube ich hätte schon an der Wasseroberfläche die Hosenvoll, wenn in der Dunkelheit plötzlich ein riesiger Schatten auftaucht. Allein schon beim schauen dieses Video bekomme ich Gänsehaut...

This was amazing. Thank You.

Tragically a forgotten horror that effectively illustrates the waste of war

My Great Uncle Henry Stephson Ordinary Seaman, 18 years old lost his life on this ship along with many others. My Nan lost both her brothers to the second world war. Sergeant William Stephson a gunner on a Lancaster bomber hit by German Air craft over Germany. WE NEVER FORGET

Beautiful but I got very frustrated urging the diver to go deeper and down to the bottom so that we could see more of the capsized superstructure of the ship, and even the 15" guns. Why did he mostly want to hover around the hull and belt of the ship? Other divers were down deeper, perhaps they carried cameras for another video? Awesome to watch this though. I'm an ex-RN submariner and wish I became a diver.

Rest in peace boys..

Hats off in rememberence 🎩🎩

Great Viz :) Nice shallow wreck ! Cool !

Rest in peace the Royal Oak crew!

Thank you for sharing. Do you still replace the White Ensign every year?

RIP HMS ROLAY OAK. 😥

Two ships my father wanted to serve in, HMS Royal Oak and HMS Hood. Good thing for me that both those never happened. Peace to the fallen crew of HMS Royal Oak.

My grandfather served on her b4 ww2 rip all those lost soles.

The royal bavy removed the propellers from the royal oak in the late 40s early 50s

To the crew of the royal oak r.i.p

I presume NDG are authorized to dive HMS Oak. Very few are.

Did the navy salvage her props not long after?,the crew must have made a galiant effort to right her as it looks like she nearly had gone full turtle when she hit the bottom..looking like she went down with heavy list..

are you on open circuit? would love to dive the royal oak.. NJ diver been on more than a few U-boat victims

I wonder what those mushroom lookalikes on the hull are.

Heroes

Don;t know how to feel about this,i hope wasn't a holiday scuba diving thing. Remember this is a war grave people.

Escorted dives with a Royal Navy person would be the greatest way to pay homage to these fallen men ....no touching obviously but our current way of " keep away " is wrong ...just look at the uss Arizona in pearl harbour which also has 800 plus men still on her and every day hundreds of fee paying visitsors visit the purpose built viewing gallery and listen to the videos and the ales of these and ships who died to defend libity

Renovate and make a museum :)

It should be raises so that the sailors can get a proper burial near their family members

My family member died in the shower on the hms dasher Tom

A description of what we were seeing would have been nice, rather than just plinky-plinky music.

Damm! How did asian scrap pirates steal the propellers?

Why is it that such an achievement comes at such a cost? RIP to all those lost, but I can’t help but greatly respect the cunning, skill, determination and bravery that led to such tragedy. I feel wrong about that, but the sinking of this ship stands testament to one of the greatest achievements in submarine warfare. Fuck war, and fuck mankind.

The English sea is sadly very dirty so the visibility isn’t that great :(

No Surrender HMS Royal Oak 🇬🇧⚓