Black Saturday (1966) By Alexander McKee
 
Friday the 13th of October, 1939, in the sixth week of the second world war. Most of the crew of the battleship, H.M.S Royal Oak, were looking forward to a full-night off watch.

It was pay day and two German U-boats had been sunk. Although unlucky for some, Friday the 13th passes quietly for the crew.

As the ship was in harbour, their only fear was of an air attack. Subsequently, with the exception of those on watch, many of the crew had turned in.

Saturday, 14th October, at 01.04 a.m., the first explosion rocked the Royal Oak. Leading Signalman Fossey noted the absence of cascading water up the side of the ship, suggesting this was not a torpedo hit.

The crew forwards of the bridge were woken up. As the ship was in harbour, they believed that there had been an internal explosion and little alarm was raised.

Two more explosions were felt moments later. With this, the Boys’ messdeck and the Stokers’ messdeck caught fire, killing the majority of boys and stokers.

At this stage, the ship was taking on water and the crew were desperately trying to find ways to escape the sinking ship. In darkness and with the ship listing, the crew struggled to make their way to the upper deck.

Witnessing the death of many of their comrades, a few managed to escape the doomed ship and found themselves severely burnt and bleeding, and swimming for their lives in the icy cold waters of the sea, now slick with oil. The nearest land was half a mile away.

Black Saturday recounts the horrors of those who fought for their lives in conditions that would push man to their limits. However, two boats were on the water. Skipper Gatt of the Daisy II responded and is possibly the reason so many of the men in the water survived.

In the hours and days following the sinking of the Royal Oak, increasing speculation about the cause of the destruction bounced between ‘Sabotage’ and a German torpedo attack. Outcomes of investigations were kept secret.

When Lieutenant Gunther Prien broadcast that his U-boat had been behind the sinking of the Royal Oak, some felt comforted, others internally hid their true thoughts.

However, his account, taken from the log from the U.47, differs in many ways from the recount provided by the survivors.

What happened to the Royal Oak?
 
Soft Cover
217 pages
In good condition