The Last Dawn

On 14 October 1939, HMS Royal Oak, one of the British navy’s top battleships, was destroyed at the Royal Navy’s main anchorage at Scapa Flow. This book is a revealing account of the tragedy, told through declassified photographs and naval records, as well as statements from survivors.

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On 14 October 1939, HMS Royal Oak, one of the British navy’s top battleships, was destroyed at the Royal Navy’s main anchorage at Scapa Flow, Orkney. The audacious attack, by a German U-boat, was the first major blow against Britain of the Second World War. Over 800 lives were lost, including sailors as young as 14.



This book is a revealing account of the tragedy. Told through declassified photographs and naval records, as well as statements from survivors, it is a dramatic and moving reassessment of one of the most shattering events in British naval history.