Over 100 people lost their lives near Edinburgh in a World War 1 naval ‘battle’ that started in the New Year of 1918.
The Battle of May Island occurred early in the new year and was not in fact even a real naval battle.
Tragically, the lives were lost due to a series of accidents amongst Royal Navy ships on their way to Scapa Flow in Orkney to conduct a naval training exercise.
The vessels set off from the North Sea in Rosyth for the fleet exercises but it was a misty night and conditions were hazardous.
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German U-boats were suspected in the area so the vessels had to turn off external lighting to stay undetected.
Forty ships made their way to Orkney in a single line, nearly 30 miles long, keeping 370 metres apart,
However, when the were passing the Isle of May, near Fife, they were ordered to increase their speed and this would have fatal consequences.
Just before 7pm the fleet noticed a set of lights approaching the submarines and the flotilla made evasive moves to try and avert a collision.
But one of the submarines jammed and veered off course, and the vessel behind struck the vessel, leaving two submarines stricken.
A flare was light and the other ships seemed to have managed to avoided hitting the listing submarines, but a battlecruiser at the back of the fleet struck the K17 submarine with a glancing blow.
Several ships from the flotilla reversed back to help but they only created more problems as there were more boats still oncoming.
It was around this time that the K17 was struck again by another oncoming battleship and she begin to sink, with the crew abandoning ship.
Various ships made their way towards the men in the water but before the rescue effort could begin tragedy struck again.
A cruiser ship trying to save the men hit a submarine and sunk almost instantly, with none of the crew surviving the impact.
Only nine of the men who had abandoned the K17 ship were saved and the rest perished in the cold waters.
The training exercise came to an end, and two submarines had been sunk and over 100 lives had been lost.
The tragedy was covered up during war time and wasn’t reported on until many years later.
A memorial cairn was finally erected 84 years later, on 31 January 2002 at Anstruther harbour opposite the Isle of May.
