Came Across This Really Interesting Interactive Website

[DD_Arthur]

About the history and wrecks of Scapa Flow.

 

 http://www.scapaflowwrecks.com/

 

Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, off the north-east coast of Scotland became the base of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet around the turn of the twentieth century when it became evident that the Kaiser's Germany was becoming the major threat to Great Britain and peace in Europe rather than France who'd played this role for most of the last millenium.

 

It was also where the German High Seas fleet was interned at the armistice in 1918. The following summer the officers of this fleet decided to scuttle their ships without warning and some seventy vessels - nearly the entire fleet! - sank into the shallow waters of the anchorage.  

 

Most remarkably, in the early 'twenties a scrap metal merchant - Cox and Danks I think - bought the entire fleet on the seabed and proceeded to raise most of the capital ships during the following decade and have them towed to Rosythe dock yard where they were broken up for their enormous high-grade steel content.

 

Well worth an explore.

 

[Sid]

Heyyyyy....was up there last week!

 

 

Lady guide said that approx. 50 of the ships were raised soon after, leaving 24 on the sea bed. 2 different salvage companies got the contract but went bust, the third one got the job done. Apparently no-one was killed during the scuttling but the German sailors were shot at by the Royal Navy. 

 

Not far from here is the wreck of HMS Royal Oak, torpedoed in 1939 with massive loss of life as it capsized and sank very quick. Marked by a single green buoy. Being a slow mover It was on it's own in the flow providing gun cover for a communications site as the rest of the fleet was out on manouveres when a German submarine snuck in and sank it. First one torpedo that hit the anchor chain then another 3 that finished it.

 

Sorry Arthur, hope I haven't hijacked.......

[FoolTrottel]

Hijack?

 

Just today they found 2 bodies on the sea floor near SMS Brummer, (sunk in 1919), probably the bodies of two Dutch divers that went missing on a dive on May 28th...

[Friar]

My dad was in the navy (had the job of popping over to murmansk) and I remember him saying that he was often up there

[DD_Arthur]

@Sid; not a hijack, exactly the sort of discussion I'm trying to stimulate!  Found this interesting little quote from a school trip to remember;

On June 21st 1919, a party of schoolchildren from the town of Stromness were being taken on a trip around Scapa Flow to view the German Fleet. Little did they know when they left home that day what they were to witness.

The following is a piece written by one of the children, James Taylor, one of the pupils who witnessed the scuttling:

"On Saturday June 21st 1919, I rose very early, as it would never do to be late for a school treat which was to take the form of a cruise on the Flying Kestrel to visit the surrendered German Fleet. The though of sailing up to them made us boys almost sick with excitement!

 

At long last we came face to face with the Fleet. Their decks were lined with German sailors who....did not seem too pleased to see us. Suddenly without any warning and almost simultaneously these huge vessels began to list over to port or starboard; some heeled over and plunged headlong, their sterns lifted high out of the water.

Out of the vents rushed steam and oil and air with a dreadful roaring hiss.

And as we watched, awestruck and silent, the sea became littered for miles round with boats and hammocks, lifebelts and chests....and among it all hundreds of men struggling for their lives.

As we drew away from this nightmare scene we watched the last great battleship slide down with keel upturned like some monstrous whale."

  I'm pretty sure some of the crews did drown when the fleet went down.  The High Seas Fleet had spent months sitting in Scapa waiting for their fate to be decided by the peace conference in Paris.  During this time Germany was riven by civil strife and the sailors holed up on these ships were starting to mutiny. They wanted to return to their homes in Germany.  The officers planned the scuttling in great secrecy and many crew members tried to prevent it when they realised what was happening.  

 

Years ago I came across this book about the operation to raise these ships;

http://www.oimages.co.uk/books.htm

 

FT and Friar;  I came across this site after reading about these two Dutch divers bodies being recovered yesterday.   Absolutely tragic.

Colin, your Dad ever talk much about the Arctic convoys?  These were the most arduous and hazardous operations the Royal Navy ever attempted and were dangerous right up to the end of the war.  I note the surviving veterans are only now going to be awarded a campaign medal for their efforts.

[Friar]

Regrettably not. it was not (as is often the case) until after he had passed away that I was aware of the significance of what he had to endure. 

[Sid]

Same with Janie's dad - he was in the Royal Navy and served on ships in the Arctic convoys. He was also on HMS Foxhound during the Malta convoy. Again, I didn't meet him and his children didn't record anything!