Portsmouth to install HMS Royal Oak memorial
August 9, 2023A memorial honoring the tragic sinking of the HMS Royal Oak during World War Two is scheduled to be placed in Portsmouth. The memorial, a nearly three-meter high obelisk, will be erected on The Hand in Portsmouth, the ship’s home port, in time for the 85th anniversary of the sinking next year.
In 1939, the HMS Royal Oak was sunk by a German U-Boat in Scapa Flow, a natural harbor in the Orkney Islands. The attack resulted in the loss of over 830 sailors. A German torpedo breached the ship’s defenses, leading to its demise.
Interestingly, the Portsmouth Society objected to the memorial project, despite the ship being built in Devonport. They questioned the relevance of the HMS Royal Oak to Portsmouth and voiced concerns about the design of the memorial. However, the city council granted planning permission to the HMS Royal Oak Association. Councillor Gerland Vernon-Jackson expressed the importance of commemorating the lives lost in Portsmouth, stating, “Many hundreds of Portsmouth residents lost their lives in the sinking. It’s commemorated at Scapa Flow, but it’s absolutely right and proper that it’s commemorated here in Portsmouth as well.”
Photo credit: Royal Navy / Painting credit: Rico Oldfield
