HMS Opal (1915)

HMS Opal was an Admiralty M-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy during World War I. Launched in 1915, she was part of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla and served in the Grand Fleet.

Opal is primarily remembered for her loss in January 1918 when, along with HMS Narborough, she ran aground during a heavy snowstorm and dense fog off the coast of Sandwick, on the east coast of Mainland, Orkney. The wrecks of both ships resulted in a significant loss of life. Only one survivor was found from Opal, out of a complement of approximately 80 officers and men. Wreckage from the ships was scattered along the coast. A Court Martial subsequently ruled that the navigating officers of both ships were to blame for the disaster.