The Royal Oak Disaster Author:Gerald S. Snyder The German susbmarine U-47 slipped over the cables that blocked the supposedly impregnable Scapa Flow, maneuvered within range of H.M.S. Royal Oak, and fired its torpedos. The battleship sank with the loss of 833 lives--one of the worst disasters in the history of the Royal Navy. Yet the audacity of the raid prompted a grudging admiration. Wi... more »nston Churchill called it "a remarkable exploit of professional skill and daring." So unbelievable was the feat that some still insist that it must have been sabotage.
For thirty years the real story remained hidden from the public by the British Official Secrets Act. With is expiration many British and German documents became accessible for the first time. The author makes effective use of this material to piece together the full story and to recreate the agony of the Royal Oak in its last moments. His extensive research, including contemporary accounts, official reports, the handwritten notes of the most of the 424 survivors, and personal interviews with many of the men involved makes possible a minute-by-minute narrative of suspense, high drama, and extraordinary bravery.« less