HMS Royal Oak was one of five Revenge-class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Completed in 1916, the 30,000 tons ship first saw combat at the Battle of Jutland as part of the Grand Fleet.
In peacetime she came under accidental attack more than once. Attempts to modernise her throughout her 25-year career could not fix her lack of speed and, by the start of the Second World War, she was no longer suitable for front-line duty.
On Saturday 14th October 1939 the Royal Oak was at anchor at the war time station of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Isles.
Able Seaman Henry Beswick who was born and grew up with his parents William and Eliza and younger sister in Frankley was on board. He was only 20 years old.
Even though one would think the Orkneys were a safe place to before Britain declared war his ship was sunk by German submarine U47.
Of 1234 men and boys on board 833 died. Harry was missing presumed dead, probably killed immediately by the German torpedoes. If he managed to escape the sinking battleship he may have drowned. Most likely his remains are entombed in the hull of the Royal Oak.
Because of the fear of aerial attack all ships were darkened, showing no lights.
The Anchorage was believed to be impenetrable to submarines. However Captain Gunther Prien got through the defences. He made two torpedo attacks the first being successful but the explosion was put down to an air attack or internal explosion!
The second attack saw 3 Torpedoes hit the Royal Oak and she capsized and sank in less than 15 minutes. As all ships were darkened many other ships didn't realise what was going on. Tragically, many of those who managed to get off the ship either drowned or succumbed to frost hypothermia in the water within sight of the shore and other ships because of this lack of understanding.
A net had to be put over the wreck to catch debris and the bodies which floated to the surface.
The loss of the outdated ship, the first of five Royal Navy battleships and battle cruisers sunk in the Second World War did little to affect the numerical superiority enjoyed by the British navy and its Allies, but it had a considerable effect on wartime morale. The raid made an immediate celebrity and war hero out of the U-boat commander, Günther Prien, who became the first German submarine officer to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Before the sinking of Royal Oak, the Royal Navy had considered the naval base at Scapa Flow impregnable to submarine attack, but U-47's raid demonstrated the German navy was capable of bringing the war to British home waters.
The wreck of Royal Oak, a designated war grave, lies almost upside down in 100 feet of water with her hull 16 feet beneath the surface. In an annual ceremony marking the loss of the ship, Royal Navy divers place a White Ensign underwater at her stern. Unauthorised divers are prohibited from approaching the wreck under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.
Harry probably joined the Navy because of the opportunities it gave young men to see the world. He would not have believed he was in danger.
In wartime death comes suddenly and is always shocking. It comes out of the hatred of one tribe of people for another and the battle for supremacy.
The huge number of young men and boys that lost their lives in the Royal Oak shocked the nation.
The shock of losing their only son must have been immense for William and Eliza who were probably farmers.
The Jewish temple during the time of Christ was very grand. Jesus and his disciples were looking back at its grandeur. Like the Royal Oak, It seemed impregnable and indestructible.
It was one of the wonders of the world, built about 20 years before the birth of Jesus by evil Herod the Great who attempted to have Jesus put to death as an infant alongside anyone who he felt was a threat to him, including his sons, and wives. It was built to glorify Herod, not God and enable him control the Jews more easily.
It dominated Mount Moriah. Some of the stones were forty feet long, 12 feet high and 18 feet wide. It was magnificent, covered with plates of gold with pillars of marble, the summit of human achievement.
Jesus said “Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
In 70 CE, during the lifetime of some of those disciples that prophesy came true. The Roman armies marched into Jerusalem to crush rebellion. The temple and city was demolished and left unoccupied by the Jewish race until after the Second World War.
According to Josephus 1.1 million were killed and 97000 enslaved.
The Jews lost their religious centre, the place where animals were sacrificed so they could be forgiven. All they had relied on, their achievements, building, pretensions of ruling the world through the coming Messiah and their religion as they had known it was destroyed and Jews were scattered throughout the world.
Only one wall of the temple remains, the Wailing Wall, where Jews come to place their prayers in the cracks and pray for the restoration of the temple.
Although the Jews have finally got their land back, in the place where their temple once stood, the Al Aqsa Mosque now stands with its beautiful gold dome which gleams in the distance, much as the temple once did.
For Moslems this is deeply significant. It represents the demise of Israel and the rise of Islam. No wonder Palestinians and Israelis find difficulty in living in peace!
Even the most beautiful and tallest buildings fall to rubble. It is only twenty years since the collapse of the twin towers in New York. The largest towers today are found in Arab countries and in China showing the changes in economic wealth.
Jesus tells us that when we hear of great upheaval, when we hear of wars and rumours of wars, and when there are earthquakes and famines we are not to be alarmed.
We are alarmed! Though, famine is most widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa, even in our country there is food deprivation and a need for food banks. We have a growing numbers of refugees from climate catastrophes arriving on our shores and many homeless people sleeping in our city’s doorways..
Calamity and destruction caused by wars or climate change can strike anywhere. No one is safe.
If we continue to conduct our lives based on the ABCD of achieve, build, compete and destroy life on our planet will end.
The Jesus way of extraordinary love and humility is very different. The ABC of salvation is asking, believing and confessing.
A. The disciples asked questions. Sitting with Jesus on the Mount of Olives they were developing a relationship with him. We need to ask for salvation and forgiveness. We need to ask for wisdom and bring God into all ourdecisions if we are going to live his way.
B. We believe Jesus has forgiven us because he died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. There is no longer need for temple sacrifice. Jesus has paid the price. It’s not our achievements which count. It’s his sacrifice which might look to our secular world like failure.
C. We confess him as our King and commit ourselves too following his way. Early Christians died because of this testimony because they were considered a threat to Caesar. Jesus, no one else is Lord.
Jesus said wars, rumours of wars, earthquakes and famine are the beginning of birth pangs. We labour with Christ and each other. Most labours are long, hard and painful but we need not be alarmed. God’s Kingdom is coming. When Jesus comes to reign there will be no more bombing, earthquakes or famines. Until then we labour with Christ to bring an end to hunger and wars on earth.