Prince Charles and Nicola Sturgeon led the mourners at a memorial service today marking 100 years since the Iolaire disaster, in which 201 sailors died on their way home from World War I.
The naval yacht sank just yards from the Isle of Lewis coastline in Scotland on January 1, 1919, in one of Britain's worst maritime disasters in peacetime.
Today Charles spoke of the 'indescribable grief' of the islanders after the tragedy, which Scotland's First Minister Ms Sturgeon called a 'cruel twist of fate' after the men had survived the war.
Meanwhile relatives of the dead spoke of the 'blanket of grief' which covered the island community in the wake of the disaster, saying that 'virtually all those that died came from the same place'.
Prince Charles and Nicola Sturgeon lead the mourners at a remembrance service for the victims of the Iolaire disaster, in which 201 people were killed as they returned from combat in World War I
Prince Charles lays a wreath at a memorial for the victims of the Iolaire disaster, which took place 100 years ago today. He bronze depiction of a coiled heaving line which recalls the heroism of John Finlay Macleod
What was the Iolaire disaster of January 1919?
HMY Iolaire had been carrying sailors who fought in the First World War back to the island which most of them called home.
She left the port of Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland late on the evening of December 31, 1918 - sine 51 days after the Armistice.
At around 2.30am on New Year's Day she crashed into rocks known as The Beasts of Holm, a few yards offshore and a mile from Stornoway harbour.
The HMY Iolaire, pictured in 1908, which crashed and sank on January 1, 1919, in a disaster which killed 201 people
With the lights of the harbour in sight, the ship struck the rocks at full speed and immediately began to tilt, filling up with water.
Although the stern of the boat was at one point just 20 feet from land, many of the men onboard were weighed down by their heavy uniforms and were unable to swim ashore.
Only 82 of the 283 passengers are believed to have survived the disaster.
Around half of them were saved by John Finlay Macleod, who swam out with a heaving line.
The tragedy remains the worst peacetime British disaster at sea since the sinking of the Titanic.
The last survivor of the Iolaire - which means 'eagle' in Gaelic - died in 1992.
A public inquiry was unable to establish the reasons for the accident.
At the service schoolchildren from across the Outer Hebrides tossed 201 red carnations, one for each of the dead, into the sea near the wreck site.
Charles, 70, unveiled a sculpture to commemorate the Iolaire, a bronze depiction of a coiled heaving line which recalls the heroism of John Finlay Macleod who swam ashore with a rope to help rescue 40 of the 79 men who were saved.
He and Ms Sturgeon both laid wreaths at a Stornoway monument which overlooks the scene of the tragedy, as did representatives from emergency services and other organisations.
Psalms were sang in Gaelic and English during the ceremony, as was the national anthem.
The occasion ended with a diver taking a wreath to the site where the ship sank.
Charles said: 'After miraculously surviving their military service during the First World War, they perished only a few hundred yards from their final destination.
'It is perhaps understandable that, until recently, the circumstances surrounding this most tragic of events in the history of the islands have not been widely discussed.'
Charles has also written a foreword for The Darkest Dawn, a new book on the tragedy, calling it a 'deeply poignant tribute to all those who tragically lost their lives'.
Writing in the official remembrance programme, Ms Sturgeon, 48, said: 'Sadly, the losses of the First World War did not end with the signing of the Armistice.
'There was a further cruel twist of fate for some on their journey home.
'Tragically, over 200 men drowned in sight of Stornoway harbour and the safety of their own homes. The impact on the tight-knit island community was beyond measure. The grief at that final moment must have been so very hard to take.
'That sadness is still felt today, as can be seen by the commemorations being organised for the centenary of this devastating accident.
'As anniversaries pass, it is ever more important that our commitment to remember those who fought and died for our future, remains.'
Meanwhile descendants of men who died on board the ship spoke of the lasting impact the disaster has had on their communities.
Sharon Smith's great-uncle Malcolm Thomson died in the disaster aged 27, but he was never supposed to be on the doomed ship.
Charles bows his head during the memorial service in the Outer Hebrides today. He and Ms Sturgeon both laid wreaths at a Stornoway monument which overlooks the scene of the tragedy, as did representatives from emergency services
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the monument in Stornoway today. She said the Iolaire disaster was a 'further cruel twist of fate for some on their journey home' from fighting in World War I
Charles - who spoke of the 'indescribable grief' of the islanders after the tragedy - at the memorial service on January 1
Nicola Sturgeon greets people at the memorial service in Scotland today, marking a century since the Iolaire tragedy
Prince Charles, who turned 70 last year, leads mourners at the memorial service. Charles has also written a foreword for The Darkest Dawn, a new book on the tragedy which devastated the island community
Charles and Nicola Sturgeon join other mourners at the centenary commemorative service for the victims of HMS Iolaire
The able seaman was due to head back on an earlier sailing, but had bumped into two friends from the island's small community of Swainbost, and decided to return home with them on the HMY Iolaire.
Ms Smith said: 'They were coming home at the end of the First World War, they were coming home in time for New Year celebrations, there was so much joy and happiness among that.
'For them to lose their lives so close to home, in such tragic circumstances, had a tremendous effect on the island. It was almost like a blanket of grief had covered the island.'
The Darkest Dawn's co-author Malcolm Macdonald - whose own grandfather perished on board the Iolaire - said there were 'still more questions than answers' about the tragedy.
He said: 'Many of the young women left behind ended up living out their days as spinsters. Like those that had died in the war, a number of those drowned on the Iolaire were engaged to be married or were going to get engaged when they arrived home.
'This island-wide phenomenon had been a wall of silence that descended on the entire community after the tragedy with people not wanting to talk about it at all.
'There was strong opposition initially towards erecting the Iolaire Memorial as it had stirred up painful memories for many. Around 250 children lost their father - eight children were born after their father died.
'Unlike the Titanic - where the victims came from all over the world - virtually all those that died came from the same place. The impact was unimaginable. They were all friends.'
Ms Sturgeon bows her head after laying a wreath at the memorial site. At the service schoolchildren from across the Outer Hebrides tossed 201 red carnations, one for each of the dead, into the sea near the wreck site
Charles prepares to lay his wreath at the service. A note he left said: 'In special remembrance of your service and sacrifice'
Charles at the service where he gave a reading and met with descendants of the people who died on the HMY Iolaire
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News Pictures Prince Charles and Nicola Sturgeon attend memorial service for Iolaire disaster
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