Word: oak
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What another generation of Britons wondered last week was why the defenses of Scapa Flow, notoriously weak at the beginning of World War I, could possibly have been left vulnerable to a submarine which slipped in and sank Royal Oak last fortnight. The London Times called it "grave matter for investigation by the Naval Court of Inquiry which is now sitting." The Daily Express snorted: "... a disgrace . . . inexcusable...
...preliminary report on the disaster was remarkable for its similarity to the jubilant account presently published by Germany. Mr. Churchill explained that, by "a remarkable exploit of professional skill and daring," the U-boat got through net and mine barriers and "fired a salvo of torpedoes at Royal Oak, of which only one hit the bow. This muffled explosion was, at the time, attributed [by Royal Oak's officers] to internal causes, and what is called the inflammable store, where the kerosene and other such materials are kept, was flooded...
...heels of Mr. Churchill's statement, a flash came from Germany that Lieutenant Commander Günther Prien and the boyish crew of his U-boat, safely back at Kiel, were congratulated by Grand Admiral Erich Raeder for smiting not only Royal Oak but also Repulse. A. Hitler sent his personal plane, Grenzmark, to fetch them to Berlin for an ovation in which Propaganda Minister Goebbels managed to share the spotlight...
Members of Prien's crew seemed to be suppressing amusement as he continued what sounded like a set recitation: "The British ships could not be seen distinctly, but one could determine the location by dimmed lanterns at the anchoring buoys. Repulse was partly covered by Royal Oak. Nevertheless her two forward turrets protruded. So I first aimed in their direction, then sent a second torpedo into the very heart of Royal Oak, then another, and another. I saw distinctly how water first spurted high before Repulse and then was followed by high red flames...
...Admiralty announced that three U-boats had been sunk in a single day, two of them of large ocean-going type. This news preceded by only a few hours and helped to soften-perhaps designedly -the disclosure of the loss of Royal Oak. Paris announced that allied attacks so far had sunk at least 17 submarines, perhaps several more...