Portsmouth HMS Royal Oak memorial to honour 830 lost sailors

A city is to install a permanent memorial to more than 830 sailors who died in one of the first major tragedies of World War Two.

HMS Royal Oak was sunk by a German U-boat in Scapa Flow, Orkney, on 14 October 1939.

An obelisk will be built on The Hard in Portsmouth, the ship's home port.

The city council, which has awarded planning permission to HMS Royal Oak Association, said the memorial would honour lost Portsmouth sailors.

Portsmouth Society objected to the scheme, questioning the ship's relevance to Portsmouth, as well as the memorial's design.

The conservation group said the Devonport-built vessel was mostly based elsewhere.

However, councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson said the 2.6m (9ft) stone obelisk would mark an important part of Portsmouth's history.

He said: "Many hundreds of Portsmouth residents lost their lives in the sinking.

"It's commemorated at Scapa Flow but it's absolutely right and proper that it's commemorated here in Portsmouth as well."

HMS Royal Oak Association said it had the funds to commission the work in time for next year's 85th anniversary of the sinking.

Its honorary secretary Gareth Derbyshire said: "Portsmouth was the Royal Oak's home port and so many of its crew were from the city. This is about recognising that connection and the loss of life and the impact it had."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].