Invergordon to remember maritime tragedy
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A BLACK day in the long and proud naval history of the Cromarty Firth is to be commemorated this autumn.
The event in Invergordon will mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Natal (inset) which went down within sight of the town with the loss of 421 lives, local people among the dead.
The tragedy happened during wartime on December 30, 1915 when the Warrior-class naval ship was at anchor in the Cromarty Firth.
It was the festive period and a film, rare during the war, was being shown on board the ship as a seasonal treat.
The ship’s commander, Captain Eric Back, had invited the wives and children of his officers, nurses from a nearby hospital ship and the factor of the Novar Estate at Evanton along with his family.
But as the party was getting under way, a series of violent explosions ripped through the ship. She capsized five minutes later.
Initially it was believed the Natal had come under enemy fire, but later the cause was found to be unstable explosives on board.
On September 30, Invergordon will remember the tragedy with a memorial service in the town and a wreath-laying at the site of the wreck.
Former naval man John Campbell-Smith, a volunteer at Invergordon Museum, told the North Star: "We’re not marking the actual day of the sinking, December 30, because we didn’t think it would be feasible to hold it during the festive period.
"However, September 30 is the 110th anniversary of the launch of HMS Natal in 1905 in Barrow-in-Furness so we decided that would be a fitting date."
The commemoration will take the form of a service in Invergordon Church of Scotland followed by a wreath-laying service at the wreck site.
The Port of Cromarty Firth is providing a boat to convey the party which will include representatives from the town, the church and the Royal Navy.
It is hoped Invergordon RNLI will be in attendance and local sailors are also welcome to join the ceremony in their own boats.
Afterwards, there will be a reception for people in Invergordon Museum where a permanent display to HMS Natal forms a central point of its exhibits.
Mr Campbell-Smith said: "Relatives of those who died on HMS Natal are coming up from England for the ceremony and it will be a poignant day for them.
"It’s also an important day for the town because it was such a shocking event. It was all so quick. The ship went down in minutes and within sight of townspeople.
"We have copies of all the signals between the ship and the admiralty in the museum and initially they thought that a German U-boat had got into the Cromarty Firth and torpedoed it. The fleet was put on immediate standby.
"There must have been such panic in the town. A ship at anchor suddenly blows up in a safe harbour."
More than half the ship’s complement were lost and the explosion was seen, and felt, throughout the firth.
An admiralty court-martial into the cause of the disaster concluded that it was caused by an internal ammunition explosion, possibly due to faulty cordite.
The Natal tragedy is highly unusual in that it was a naval disaster, in wartime, in which women and children were among the casualties.
Captain Eric Back died on the day but his daughter, who lives in Switzerland, is in contact with Invergordon Museum.
However, she is in her late 90s and will not be able to attend the memorial day.
