Families eagerly anticipating the return of the sailors were unaware of what was happening off-shore and it wasn’t until the next morning the true scale of the tragedy was realised.
Of the 201 sailors who died, 174 were from the Isle of Lewis and seven were from the Isle of Harris with the remainder of victims ship’s crew.
Lieutenant Alison Ross, who is part of the Capability Assurance Group working on aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, will be part of the ceremony on New Year’s Day. She spent her childhood on the Isle of Lewis and has a personal connection to the Iolaire disaster.
The 29-year-old said: “My great aunt is the daughter of John Finlay MacLeod who was on HMY Iolaire. He managed to swim ashore with a heaving line which helped save 40 men. My great aunt will be there for the service with her son so it will be nice to see her.”
Lt Ross will hand a wreath to Prince Charles, attending as the Lord of the Isles, at the service on Stornoway.
She added: “I am really honoured to be involved with the commemorations and to see the Royal Navy taking part too.
“It is really important for the community because I don’t think it was talked about at the time as much as it could have been.
“But for the centenary so many people are coming together and there are lots of services happening which I am pleased about.”
As well as the service, a ceremony will be held simultaneously on the Calmac ferry which will anchor less than a mile from where the Iolaire wreck is. Flowers will be thrown into the sea to represent the sailors who died.
Able Seaman Laurie Connelly, 21, moved to the Isle of Lewis when he was seven. He will join Lt Ross in the New Year’s Day service and will hand a wreath to Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
He said: “Having lived on the island for most of my life I was keen to get involved. I am glad they are making a big deal out of it and that those who died are being remembered.
“It will be good for the community and I feel like they will appreciate the Royal Navy’s involvement.”
