HMS Opal (1915)

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For other ships of the same name, see HMS Opal.

HMS Opal, was an Admiralty M class destroyer, which served in the First World War following her construction at Sunderland in 1915. Attached to the 12th Destroyer Flotilla based with the Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow, the Opal had an eventful short life, which ended tragically in shipwreck when she was just two and a half years old.

Opal's most important moment came when she served at the Battle of Jutland with the Grand Fleet, during which she was engaged with the German High Seas fleet, and both attacked and was attacked during the general action, in the course of which she lost several squadron mates. She also participated in other major fleet sorties during the next two years as well as pusuing her regular duties of minesweeping, convoy protection and anti-submarine patrols in the North Sea. It was during the course of these duties that the disaster which would claim the Opal occurred.

On the 12 January 1918 Opal joined her sister ship HMS Narborough and the light cruiser HMS Boadicea in a night patrol to hunt German auxiliary warships suspected to be laying mines on the Scottish coast. By 5.30pm the weather had deteriorated to such an extreme degree that the destroyers were in danger of swamping and foundering and visibility was near zero. Fearing that her companions might sink, the Boadicea ordered the Opal and Narborough back to Scapa Flow while she continued alone. For the next four hours Opal regularly sent reports indicating her course and intention to return, but at 9.27pm, a garbled message stating have run aground was received, followed by silence. The weather was so atrocious that no vessels could be despatched until the following morning, and it was two days before the Opal was found, battered, broken and empty on the Clett of Crura. The Narborough was found in a similar position nearby. One survivor, William Sissons, was later located on a small islet, and he related that the ships had been sailing a regular slow course making frequent soundings and radio reports, but had suddenly crashed headlong in to the rocks, probably due to a navigation error by the Opal's captain. Both wrecks were abandoned and broken up by the sea over the next few weeks taking the bodies of both crews, bar the single survivor, with them.