New footage shows the enormity of the damage to the ship HMS "Royal Oak"

New photos of the wreck of the HMS “Royal Oak”, show the enormity of the damage suffered by the Royal Navy vessel during a torpedo attack in 1939. The British battleship was sunk in the Scapa Flow area by the blue submarine U-47, killing 835 crew members including 134 boys on board.

As part of the 80th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Royal Oak, new video and photographic material has been made available showing the damage the battleship suffered during the attack. Divers played an invaluable role in the preparation of the multimedia, with a wealth of material gathered to create 3D models.

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The main aim was to enable non-divers to see the wreck of a legendary vessel that holds an important place in British history.

“One of the areas mapped in detail is the torpedo hit area, which due to its size is not entirely visible when underwater. However, thanks to new techniques, the team was able to create an image of this area and it is striking to see the scale of the damage.” – Project lead Emily Turton said.

HMS “Royal Oak” was a Revenge-class battleship measuring 189 metres long and 27 metres wide. She was sunk by the Kriegsmarine submarine U-47 on 14 October 1939, killing 834 crew members. She was the first ship of the British Royal Navy to be sunk in combat during World War II.

The German U-boat U-47 fled the scene and its commanding Captain Günther Prien returned to Germany as a hero. The sinking of HMS “Royal Oak” was an important propaganda tool for Germany, and in turn caused a real shock among the British Admiralty. As a direct result of the attack, the Churchill Barrier was built to protect access to the Scapa Flow anchorage.

The wreck of the battleship, due to its status as a war grave, has been under a total diving ban since 2002.

Source: bbc.com