[CougarGA7]

It's almost ironic that the flagship at the Battle of Jutland, the Iron Duke was hit today a couple of days after the Royal Oak which was also involved in that battle was sunk. Here's what Churchill had to say about that in the War Cabinet Meeting.

CONCLUSIONS of a Meeting of the War Cabinet held at 10 Downing Street, S.W.1, on Tuesday, October 17, 1939, at 11:30 a.m.

The First Lord of the Admiralty said that he had news of an air raid in progress at Scapa Flow, and warnings had been given at Rosyth and Humber, though these were probably on account of reconnaissance aircraft.
The Iron Duke, which had been demilitarized under the Naval Treaty, and was now in use as a depot ship in Scapa, had been hit. She was not armoured, and after the hit, had developed a list but had been beached. There were no casualties, but one of the enemy aircraft had been shot down.

There is no mention of the Repulse anywhere in the meeting notes so I she's probably all right.

[abb]

Found this.

http://boards.history.com/topic/World-War-Ii/October-14-1939/520075253

At 0116 hours on 14 October 1939 the German submarine U-47 fired a spread of three torpedoes at HMS Royal Oak and the British seaplane tender HMS Pegasus lying at anchor in the harbour of Scapa Flow, turned around and fired a stern torpedo at 0121 hours. Prien misidentified the seaplane tender as HMS Repulse and claimed a hit, but a torpedo apparently hit the starboard anchor chain of the battleship and did not damage the ships. At 0123 hours, the U-boat fired a second spread of three torpedoes that hit HMS Royal Oak (Capt. William Gordon Benn, RN) on the starboard side and caused a magazine to blew up. The battleship rolled over and sank in 19 minutes in position 58º55’N, 02º59’W. The ship complement was 1208 officers and men, 833 of them were killed and there were 375 survivors.

[abb]

HMS Repulse may have been at sea at the time. Some discussion here.

http://www.freewebs.com/hmsroyaloak/theroyaloaktimeline.htm

13/10/1939 17:34:00 Repulse to sea,

13/10/1939 22:49:00 Repulse crossed Moray Forth, and in a position 10 miles of Fraserburgh (ratray Head 174 deg Kinnairds head 210 Deg

14/10/1939 08:45:00 Repulse passes port boom defense at The Forth.
14/10/1939 09:02:00 Repulse passed beneath Forth Bridge
14/10/1939 09:46:00 Repulse secures to No 14 Bouy
14/10/1939 14:15:00 Repulse proceeds to Rosyth Dockyard
14/10/1939 15:40:00 Repulse Entered dry dock
15/10/1939 09:00:00 Repulse A start is made on pumping out the dock
15/10/1939 13:00:00 Repulse A start made to painting her bottom
17/10/1939 12:33:00 Repulse leaves dock
18/10/1939 12:33:00 Repulse sailed for Loch Ewe