About

During both world wars, Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands was the northern base of the Royal Navy. From here, the mighty warships of Britain’s Home Fleet dominated the North Sea, and stood by to smash any German seaborne invasion. But in the opening weeks of World War II, it became the scene of one of Britain’s greatest naval disasters.

Scapa Flow was supposed to be impregnable. But on a cold, dark night in October 1939, a single German submarine entered the bay. Minutes later, the great battleship Royal Oak was rocked by a salvo of torpedos. Her crew of more than twelve hundred had no warning and little chance of escape.

This is the first time the full story of the sinking of the Royal Oak has been told on television. Using survivor testimony, archive film and CGI, The Sinking of The Royal Oak tells how one of World War II’s most daring raids became shrouded in controversy; how the tragic loss of more than 100 boy-sailors ended an ancient naval tradition; and how British complacency handed Hitler his first great propaganda victory of the war.