HMS Natal

HMS Natal was an armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the early 1900s. She belonged to the Warrior class and served during the first world war. The ship was named after the Colony of Natal, whose inhabitants largely funded her construction. Natal escorted the royal yacht for King George V’s trip to India in 1911–1912. She carried the body of the U.S. Ambassador to New York in 1912, earning the nickname Sea Hearse. The cruiser was sunk by an internal explosion near Cromarty in 1915 with the loss of at least 390 lives. The wreck of HMS Natal lies in Cromarty Firth, a sheltered stretch of water in the Scottish Highlands. The site is protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 as a war grave. Divers investigating the wreck found that the explosions began in the rear 9.2-inch shellroom or the magazine. The Admiralty concluded the disaster was caused by faulty cordite, though no German attack was involved. For decades after the sinking, every passing warship sounded ‘Still’ and came to attention as a mark of respect. Much of the wreck was salvaged, and the remaining parts were demolished in the 1970s to clear the channel. Visitors to Cromarty Firth can see the remains of the wreck at low tide. The hull is still visible above the waterline, though only remnants remain. A commemorative plaque in Natal Gardens at Invergordon remembers the ship and those lost. The gardens were opened in 2000 by gardener Charlie Dimmock. A memorial to the cruiser also stands in Durban, South Africa. The site is quiet and reflective, a place to consider the human cost of the disaster.