View source for Scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow

{{short description|Destruction of interned warships, 21 June 1919}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}

{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict 4= Scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow
| image = SMS Bayern sinking.jpg
| image_size = 300
| caption = ''Bayern'' sinking by the stern
| date = 21 June 1919
| place = [[Scapa Flow]], [[Orkney Islands]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
| coordinates = {{coord|58|54|N|3|11|W|type:isle_region:GB|display=title}}
| result = Majority of German fleet sunk
| combatant1 = {{flagcountry|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland}}
| combatant2 = {{flagcountry|Weimar Republic}}
| commander1 = {{flagdeco|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|naval}} [[Sydney Fremantle]]
| commander2 = {{flagdeco|Weimar Republic|naval}} [[Ludwig von Reuter]]
| units1 = [[1st Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)|First Battle Squadron]]
| units2 = [[High Seas Fleet]]
| casualties1 = None
| casualties2 = {{ubl|9 killed|16 wounded}}
}}

On 21 June 1919, shortly after the end of the [[First World War]], the [[Imperial German Navy]]'s [[High Seas Fleet]]  was [[Scuttling|scuttled]] by its sailors while held off the harbour of the British [[Royal Navy]] base at [[Scapa Flow]], in the [[Orkney Islands]] of Scotland. The fleet was interned there under the terms of the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]] while negotiations took place over its fate. Fearing that either the British would seize the ships unilaterally or the German government at the time might reject the [[Treaty of Versailles]] and resume the war effort (in which case the ships could be used against Germany), Admiral [[Ludwig von Reuter]] decided to scuttle the fleet.<ref>Simms, B. (2014). "Against a 'world of enemies': The impact of the First World War on the development of Hitler's ideology". ''International Affairs''. 90(2): 317–336. {{doi|10.1111/1468-2346.12111}}</ref>

Intervening British [[guard ship]]s were able to beach some of the ships, but 52 of the 74 interned vessels sank. Many of the wrecks were [[Marine salvage|salvaged]] over the next two decades and were towed away for [[Ship breaking|scrapping]]. Those that remain are popular [[Recreational diving#Dive site features|diving sites]] and a source of [[low-background steel]].<ref name="Butler">{{cite book |last=Butler | first = Daniel Allen |title=Distant Victory: the Battle of Jutland and the Allied Triumph in the First World War |page=229 |publisher=Praeger Security International (Greenwood Publishing Group) | location = Westport, Connecticut | year = 2006 | isbn = 0275990737 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cqgrz37DgMcC&pg=PA229}}</ref>

== Background ==
The signing of the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]] with Germany, at [[Compiègne]], France, effectively ended the First World War. The [[Allies of World War I|Allied powers]] agreed that Germany's [[U-boat]] fleet should be surrendered without the possibility of return, but were unable to agree upon a course of action regarding the German surface fleet. The Americans suggested that the ships be interned in a neutral port until a final decision was reached, but the two countries that were approached – Norway and Spain – both refused. Admiral [[Rosslyn Wemyss, 1st Baron Wester Wemyss|Rosslyn Wemyss]] suggested that the fleet be interned at Scapa Flow with a skeleton crew of German sailors, and guarded in the interim by the [[Grand Fleet]].<ref name="Massie">{{cite book |last=Massie |title=Castles of Steel |pages=778–788}}</ref>

The terms were transmitted to Germany on 12 November 1918, instructing them to make the High Seas Fleet ready to sail by 18 November, or the Allies would occupy [[Heligoland]].<ref name="Massie"/>

[[File:The Arrival of the German Delegates on HMS Queen Elizabeth 1918 by John Lavery.jpg|thumb|left|[[John Lavery]]'s painting of the German delegates arriving on HMS [[HMS Queen Elizabeth (1913)|''Queen Elizabeth'']] ]]

On the night of 15 November, Rear-Admiral [[Hugo Meurer]], the representative of Admiral [[Franz von Hipper]], met Admiral [[David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty|David Beatty]] aboard Beatty's [[flagship]], {{HMS|Queen Elizabeth|1913|6}}. Beatty presented Meurer with the terms, which were expanded at a second meeting the following day. The U-boats were to surrender to Rear-Admiral [[Reginald Tyrwhitt]] at [[Harwich]], under the supervision of the [[Harwich Force]]. The surface fleet was to sail to the [[Firth of Forth]] and surrender to Beatty. The ships would then be led to Scapa Flow and interned, pending the outcome of the peace negotiations. Meurer asked for an extension to the deadline, aware that the sailors were still in a mutinous mood (which earlier had led to the [[Wilhelmshaven mutiny]]), and that the officers might have difficulty in getting them to obey orders. Meurer eventually signed the terms after midnight.<ref name="Massie"/>

== Surrender of the fleet ==
[[File:HMS Cardiff leading the German high seas fleet.jpg|thumb|{{HMS|Cardiff|D58|6}} leading the fleet into the [[Firth of Forth]]]]
[[File:Entering Scapa Flow.jpg|thumb|{{SMS|Emden|1915|2}}, {{SMS|Frankfurt || 2}} and {{SMS|Bremse || 2}} entering Scapa Flow]]
The first craft to be surrendered were the U-boats, which began to arrive at Harwich on 20 November 1918; 176 were eventually handed over. Hipper refused to lead the surface fleet to the surrender, delegating the task to Rear-Admiral [[Ludwig von Reuter]].<ref name="Massie"/> The fleet was met by the [[light cruiser]] {{HMS|Cardiff|D58}} on the morning of 21 November, and was led to the rendezvous with over 370 ships of the Grand Fleet and other allied navies. There were 70 German ships in total; the [[battleship]] {{SMS|König || 2}} and the light cruiser {{SMS|Dresden|1916|2}} had engine trouble and had to be left behind. The [[destroyer]] {{SMS|V30 || 2}} struck a [[Naval mine|mine]] while crossing, and sank.<ref name="Massie"/>

The German ships were escorted into the Firth of Forth, where they anchored. Beatty signalled them:

<blockquote>The German flag will be hauled down at sunset today and will not be hoisted again without permission.<ref name="Massie"/><ref name=Vat135>{{cite book |last=van der Vat |title=Standard of Power |page=135}}</ref> </blockquote>

The fleet was then moved between 25 and 27 November to [[Scapa Flow]]; the destroyers to [[Gutter Sound]] and the battleships and cruisers to the north and west of the island of [[Cava, Orkney|Cava]].<ref>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |page=270 }}</ref> Eventually, a total of 74 ships were interned there, ''König'' and ''Dresden'' having arrived on 6 December accompanied by the destroyer {{SMS|V129 || 2}}, which replaced the sunken ''V30''. The last ship to arrive was the battleship {{SMS|Baden || 2}} on 9 January 1919.<ref>{{cite book |title=Castles of Steel |last=Massie |page=783 }}</ref> Initially, the interned ships were guarded by the Battle Cruiser Force (later reduced to the [[Battlecruiser Squadron (United Kingdom)|Battle Cruiser Squadron]]), commanded in succession by Vice-Admiral [[William Christopher Pakenham|William Pakenham]], Rear-Admiral [[Henry Oliver]] and Rear-Admiral [[Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes|Roger Keyes]]. On 1 May 1919, Vice-Admiral Sir [[Arthur Leveson]] and the [[2nd Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)|Second Battle Squadron]] of the [[Atlantic Fleet (United Kingdom)|Atlantic Fleet]] took over guard duties, and were succeeded on 18 May by Vice-Admiral Sir [[Sydney Fremantle]] and the [[1st Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)|First Battle Squadron]].<ref name=Marder273>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |page=273 }}</ref>

== In captivity ==
[[File:Internment at Scapa Flow.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=Symbols of ships are arrayed in a portion of water mostly surrounded by land.|Internment at Scapa Flow on 25 March 1919]]
[[File:Fleet in Scapa Flow.jpg|thumb|The fleet at Scapa Flow in November 1918]]
The naval historian [[Arthur Marder]] described the state of affairs on board the German ships during the internment as "one of complete demoralization". He identified four reasons that exacerbated the situation: lack of discipline, poor food, lack of recreation and slow postal service. The cumulative result of these problems created "indescribable filth in some of the ships".<ref>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |pages=271–272 }}</ref> On 29 November the Second-in-Command of the Grand Fleet, Admiral Sir [[Sir Charles Madden, 1st Baronet|Charles Madden]], wrote to his brother-in-law and former superior [[John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe|Lord Jellicoe]] that, "All proposed orders are considered and counter-signed by the men's committee before they are executed and then they are carried out as convenient". When visiting an interned ship the German officers were reported to have been "dumb with shame".<ref>Quoted in {{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |page=271 }}</ref> Food was sent from Germany twice a month but was monotonous and not of good quality. Catching fish and seagulls provided a dietary supplement and some recreation. A large amount of brandy was also sent over. Recreation for the men was limited to their ships, as the British refused to allow any of the interned sailors to go ashore or visit any other German ships. British officers and men were only allowed to visit on official business.<ref>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |page=271 }}</ref> Outgoing post to Germany was censored from the beginning, and later incoming post also. German seamen were granted 300 cigarettes a month or 75 cigars. There were German doctors in the interned fleet but no dentists, and the British refused to provide dental care.<ref name=Massie785>{{cite book |title=Castles of Steel |last=Massie |page=785 }}</ref><ref name=GS138>{{cite book |title=The Grand Scuttle|last=van der Vat |page=138}}</ref>

Command of the interned ships was exercised through Reuter, flying his flag in the battleship {{SMS|Friedrich der Grosse|1911|2}}. He had a British [[Naval drifter|drifter]] at his disposal for visiting ships and issuing written orders on urgent business, and his staff was occasionally allowed to visit other ships to arrange repatriation of officers and men.<ref>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |page=272 }}</ref> Reuter, whose health was poor, requested that his flag be transferred to the light cruiser {{SMS|Emden|1915|2}} on 25 March after he was repeatedly prevented from sleeping by the stomping on his cabin roof by a group of revolutionary sailors called the "Red Guard".<ref name=Marder273/><ref name=Massie785/> Over seven months the number of men in his command was continually reduced from the 20,000 men who had sailed the ships over in November. Four thousand returned to Germany on 3 December, 6,000 on 6 December and 5,000 on 12 December, leaving 4,815, of whom approximately 100 were repatriated a month.<ref>{{cite book |title=Castles of Steel |last=Massie |page=784 }}</ref>

[[File:Germans fishing.jpg|left|thumb|German sailors fishing over the side of a destroyer]]
Negotiations over the fate of the ships were under way at the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]]. The French and Italians each wanted a quarter of the ships. The British wanted them destroyed, since they knew that any redistribution would be detrimental to the proportional advantage in numbers they had compared to other navies.<ref name=Massie785/> Under Article XXXI of the Armistice the Germans were not permitted to destroy their ships. Both Admirals Beatty and Madden had approved plans to seize the German ships in case scuttling was attempted; Admirals Keyes and Leveson recommended that the ships be seized anyway and the crews interned ashore at [[Nigg, Highland|Nigg Island]], but their suggestions were not taken up.<ref name=Marder274>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |page=274 }}</ref> Their concern was not without justification, for as early as January 1919, Reuter mentioned the possibility of scuttling the fleet to his chief of staff.<ref>{{cite book |title=Scapa Flow |last=Reuter |page=79 }}</ref> Having learned of the possible terms of the [[Treaty of Versailles]] in May 1919, he began to prepare detailed plans to scuttle his ships.<ref>{{cite book |title=Scapa Flow 1919 |last=Ruge |pages=130–133 }}</ref> Admiral [[Erich Raeder]] later wrote that Reuter was informed that the fleet was to be scuttled at all costs.<ref>{{cite book |title=My Life |last=Raeder |page=105 }}</ref> A further reduction of crews with the departure of two transports to Germany on 18 June 1919 meant that Reuter was left with reliable men to carry out preparations.<ref name=GS167/> On that day he sent out orders, paragraph 11 of which stated: "It is my intention to sink the ships only if the enemy should attempt to obtain possession of them without the assent of our government. Should our government agree in the peace to terms to the surrender of the ships, then the ships will be handed over, to the lasting disgrace of those who have placed us in this position."<ref name=GS167>{{cite book |title=The Grand Scuttle|last=van der Vat |page=167}}</ref> His orders were sent to the interned ships on 18 June.<ref name=GS167/>

In the meantime the signing of the Treaty of Versailles was scheduled for noon on 21 June 1919.<ref name=GS168>{{cite book |title=The Grand Scuttle|last=van der Vat |page=168}}</ref> The First Battle Squadron prepared to board the German ships in force to check for signs that the fleet was preparing to scuttle. On 13 June Admiral Madden requested in person at the [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Admiralty]] a daily political appreciation from 17 June onwards so as to be prepared to take action, but as Madden related to Beatty shortly afterwards, "they had no reliable indication of the German attitude towards the peace terms". Admiral Fremantle submitted to Madden on 16 June a scheme for seizing the German ships at midnight of 21/22 June, after the treaty was meant to be signed. Madden approved the plan on 19 June, but only after he was informed that the deadline for signing the treaty was extended to 19:00 on 23 June and he neglected to officially inform Fremantle.<ref name=GS163>{{cite book |title=The Grand Scuttle|last=van der Vat |page=163}}</ref> News of the extension was seen by Fremantle in a newspaper on the same day and he assumed it to be true.<ref name=GS163/> He had been under orders from Madden for some time to exercise his battleships against torpedo attacks, which required good weather in order to recover the torpedoes. The weather on the night of 20 June was favourable so Fremantle ordered the First Battle Squadron to sea at 09:00 the next day, 21 June.<ref name=GS163/> The operation to seize the German ships was postponed until the night of his squadron's return to Scapa Flow on 23 June, after the deadline to sign the treaty had expired.<ref name=GS169>{{cite book |title=The Grand Scuttle|last=van der Vat |page=169}}</ref> Fremantle later claimed that before he left Scapa he had unofficially informed Reuter that the armistice was still in effect.<ref>{{cite book |title=My Naval Career |last=Fremantle |page=276 }}</ref>

== Fleet is scuttled ==
Around 10:00&nbsp;a.m. on 21 June 1919, Reuter sent a [[flag signal]] ordering the fleet to stand by for the signal to scuttle. At about 11:20 the flag signal was sent: "To all Commanding Officers and the Leader of the Torpedo Boats. Paragraph Eleven of to-day's date. Acknowledge. Chief of the Interned Squadron."<ref name=Marder280>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |page=280 }}</ref> The signal was repeated by semaphore and searchlights.<ref name=Massie787>{{cite book |title=Castles of Steel |last=Massie |page=787 }}</ref> Scuttling began immediately: [[seacock]]s and flood valves were opened, internal water pipes smashed and drain valves on sewage tanks opened.<ref name=GS164-5>{{cite book |title=The Grand Scuttle|last=van der Vat |pages=164–5}}</ref> Portholes had already been loosened, watertight doors and condenser covers left open, and in some ships holes had been bored through bulkheads, all to facilitate the spread of water once scuttling began.<ref name=GS164-5/> One German ship commander recorded that before 21 June, seacocks had been set on a hair turning and heavily lubricated, while large hammers had been placed beside valves.<ref>David Howarth, page 163 "The Dreadnoughts" {{ISBN|0-7054-0628-8}}</ref>

[[File:SMS Derfflinger scuttled.jpg|thumb|left|{{SMS|Derfflinger || 2}} capsizes|alt=A large warship rolls onto its side]]
There was no noticeable effect until noon, when ''Friedrich der Grosse'' began to [[angle of list|list]] heavily to starboard and all the ships hoisted the Imperial German Ensign at their [[mainmast]]s. The crews then began to abandon ship.<ref name=GS171>{{cite book |title=The Grand Scuttle|last=van der Vat |page=171}}</ref> The British naval forces left at Scapa Flow comprised three destroyers, one of which was under repair, seven [[Naval trawler|trawlers]] and a number of [[Naval drifter|drifters]].<ref name=Marder280/><ref name=Massie787/> Fremantle started receiving news of the scuttling at 12:20 and cancelled his squadron's exercise at 12:35, steaming at full speed back to Scapa Flow. He and a division of ships arrived at 14:30 in time to see only the large ships still afloat. He had radioed ahead to order all available craft to prevent the German ships sinking or beach them.<ref>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |page=281 }}</ref> The last German ship to sink was the [[battlecruiser]] {{SMS|Hindenburg || 2}} at 17:00,<ref name=Massie787/> by which time 15 capital ships were sunk, and only {{SMS|Baden || 2}} survived. Five light cruisers and 32 destroyers were also sunk. Nine German naval personnel were killed and about 16 wounded by panicked guards either on their ships or while rowing towards land in lifeboats.<ref>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |page=282 }}</ref>[[File:WW1 German naval war graves - at Lyness, Scapa Flow.jpg|thumb|The graves of German sailors shot while attempting to come ashore surrendering.]]

During the afternoon, 1,774 Germans were picked up and transported by battleships of the First Battle Squadron to [[Invergordon]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Castles of Steel |last=Massie |page=788 }}</ref> Fremantle had sent out a general order declaring that the Germans were to be treated as [[prisoners-of-war]] for having broken the armistice and they were destined for the prisoner-of-war camps at Nigg. Reuter and several of his officers were brought onto the quarterdeck of {{HMS|Revenge|06|6}}, where Fremantle – through an interpreter – denounced their actions as dishonourable while Reuter and his men looked on "with expressionless faces".<ref>{{cite book |title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow |volume=V |last=Marder |pages=281–282 }}</ref> Admiral Fremantle subsequently remarked privately, "I could not resist feeling some sympathy for Reuter, who had preserved his dignity when placed against his will in a highly unpleasant and invidious position."<ref>Nicholas C. Jellicoe, ''The Last Days of the High Seas Fleet: From Mutiny to Scapa Flow'' (Pen and Sword, 2019), [https://books.google.com/books?id=vk8IEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT313 p. 313]</ref>

== Reactions ==
[[File:Seydlitz capsized.jpg|thumb|right|{{SMS|Seydlitz || 2}} on her side]]
[[File:SMS Hindenburg sunk.jpg|thumb|right|Only the upper works of {{SMS|Hindenburg || 2}} remained above the water]]
The French were disappointed that the German fleet was gone, having hoped to acquire at least some of the ships.<ref name="Massie"/> Admiral Wemyss privately remarked:
{{blockquote|I look upon the sinking of the German fleet as a real blessing. It disposes, once and for all, the thorny question of the redistribution of these ships.<ref name="Massie"/>}}

Admiral [[Reinhard Scheer]] declared:
{{blockquote|I rejoice. The stain of surrender has been wiped from the escutcheon of the German Fleet. The sinking of these ships has proved that the spirit of the fleet is not dead. This last act is true to the best traditions of the German Navy.<ref name="Massie"/>}}

== Aftermath ==
Of the 74 German ships at Scapa Flow, 15 of the 16 [[capital ship]]s, 5 of the 8 cruisers, and 32 of the 50 destroyers were sunk.<ref name=Vat135/> The remainder either remained afloat, or were towed to shallower waters and beached. The beached ships were later dispersed to the allied navies, but most of the sunken ships were initially left at the bottom of Scapa Flow, the cost of salvaging them being deemed to be not worth the potential returns, owing to the glut of scrap metal left after the end of the war, with plenty of obsolete warships having been broken up.<ref name=Fine>{{cite book |last=Fine |title=Lost on the Ocean Floor |pages=130–138}}</ref> After complaints from locals that the wrecks were a hazard to navigation, a salvage company was formed in 1923, which raised four of the sunken destroyers.

[[File:Salvage at Scapa Flow.jpg|left|thumb|Salvage work in progress on {{SMS|Baden || 2}}, while {{SMS|Frankfurt || 2}} sits aground on the left]]
At about this time, the entrepreneur [[Ernest Cox]] became involved. He bought 26 destroyers from the Admiralty for £250 (equivalent to £{{inflation|UK-GDP|250|1919|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation/year|UK-GDP}}), as well as {{SMS|Seydlitz || 2}} and {{SMS|Hindenburg || 2}}.<ref name="Fine"/> He began operations to refloat the destroyers using an old German dry dock he purchased and subsequently modified. He was able to lift 24 of his 26 destroyers over the next year and a half, after which he began work on the larger vessels. He developed a new salvage technique whereby divers patched the holes in the submerged hulls, and pumped air into them to displace the water, letting them rise to the surface where they could then be towed to the [[Ship breaking|breakers]].<ref name="Fine"/> Using this technique, he refloated several of the ships. His methods were costly, however, and the final cost of raising ''Hindenburg'' ran to some £30,000 (equivalent to £{{inflation|UK-GDP|30000|1919|r=-5|fmt=c}} in {{inflation/year|UK-GDP}}). Industrial action and a [[1926 United Kingdom general strike|coal strike]] in 1926 nearly brought operations to a halt, but Cox instead dug out the coal in the submerged ''Seydlitz'', using it to power his machines until the end of the strike.<ref name="Fine"/> Salvaging ''Seydlitz'' also proved difficult, as the ship sank again during the first attempt to raise her, wrecking most of the salvage equipment. Undaunted, Cox tried again, ordering that when she was next raised, news cameras would be there to capture him witnessing the moment. The plan nearly backfired when ''Seydlitz'' was accidentally refloated while Cox was holidaying in Switzerland. Cox told the workers to sink her again, then returned to Scotland to be present as ''Seydlitz'' was duly refloated a third time.<ref name="Fine"/> Cox's company eventually raised 26 destroyers, two battlecruisers and five battleships.<ref name="Fine"/> Cox sold his remaining interests to the Alloa Shipbreaking Company (later [[Metal Industries Group]]) and retired as the "man who bought a navy".<ref name="Fine"/> The latter company went on to raise a further five cruisers, battlecruisers and battleships, before the outbreak of the Second World War brought operations to a halt.<ref name="Butler"/>

The remaining wrecks lie in deeper waters, in depths up to {{Convert|47|m}} and there has been no economic incentive to attempt to raise them since. They have changed ownership several times<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scapaflowwrecks.com/history/salvage.php|title=Salvage Operations in Scapa Flow|website=Scapa Flow: Historic Wreck Site|access-date=19 June 2019}}</ref> and minor salvage is still carried out to recover small pieces of steel. This [[low-background steel]] is used in the manufacture of radiation-sensitive devices, such as [[Geiger counter]]s, as it is not contaminated with [[radioisotope]]s, having been produced before any chance of [[nuclear contamination]].<ref name="Butler"/> In 2001, the seven wrecks that remain were scheduled under the [[Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979]] (as SM9298<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM9298 |title=Scapa Flow, wrecks of 3 battleships of German High Seas Fleet |website= Historic Environment Portal |publisher=Historic Environment Scotland |access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref> & SM9308<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM9308 |title=Scapa Flow, wrecks of 4 cruisers of German High Seas Fleet |website= Historic Environment Portal |publisher=Historic Environment Scotland |access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref>). Divers are allowed to visit them but need a permit to do so.<ref name=MCA>{{cite web |last=Maritime and Coastguard Agency |url=http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home/emergencyresponse/mcga-receiverofwreck/mcga-protectedwrecks/mcga-protectedwrecks-ancient.htm |title=Protected Wrecks in the UK: Wrecks designated as Maritime Scheduled Ancient Monuments |access-date=11 August 2008 |archive-date=17 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417153141/http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home/emergencyresponse/mcga-receiverofwreck/mcga-protectedwrecks/mcga-protectedwrecks-ancient.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The scrap from the raised ships was sold, with [[Nazi Germany]] using purchased scrap to construct the first ships and U-boats for the ''[[Kriegsmarine]]''.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

While the rebuilding of the [[German Army (1935–1945)|German Army]] in the 1930s was based upon the combined myths of "invincibility on the battlefield" and the "[[stab in the back]]", the attitude and actions of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow became a symbol of defiance for the new recruits and officers of the ''Kriegsmarine''.<ref>Humble, Richard (1972). ''Hitler's high seas fleet''. Pan Books, p. 23. {{ISBN|978-0-345-09721-7}}</ref> The last living military witness to the scuttling of the fleet was [[Claude Choules]], who died on 5 May 2011 aged 110. Choules was the last known living combat veteran of the First World War.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/05_13_02/story09.htm|title=500 km by bike to demolish Albany|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080203114523/http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/05_13_02/story09.htm|publisher=Navy News|access-date=6 July 2007 |last=Booth|first=Gary|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 February 2008}}</ref> An eyewitness account of the scuttling and the subsequent angry meeting between Reuter and Fremantle was published in 2015 by the family of Hugh David, who died in 1957.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33152438|title=WW1: The letter that reveals a brutal day at Scapa Flow|author= Marek Pruszewicz|work=BBC Magazine|date=19 June 2015 |access-date=19 June 2015 }}</ref> In 2019, the three battleships ''Markgraf'', ''König'' and ''Kronprinz Wilhelm'' were sold on eBay (by the retiring diving contractor Tommy Clark) for £25,500 each to a Middle Eastern company. The cruiser, ''Karlsruhe'', sold for £8,500 to a private bidder in England.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Sunken WW1 Scapa Flow warships sold for £85,000 on eBay |date=9 July 2019|work=[[BBC News Online]]|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-48920904}}</ref>

== Centenary anniversary event ==
Two remembrance ceremonies took place on Friday 21 June 2019 to mark the 100th anniversary of the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet. The grandson, and three great-grandsons of von Reuter attended both services. The morning 'Reflection at Sea' service was held in the middle of the Flow at 11:00{{nbsp}}am and was attended by dive charter vessels, the [[Orkney Ferries]] vessel ''Thorsvoe'', Longhope Lifeboat and two ships from the [[Northern Lighthouse Board]], ''Pharos'' and ''Polestar''. The second ceremony was held at Lyness in the Royal Naval Cemetery by the graves of WWI German sailors.<ref>Rosemary E Lunn [https://xray-mag.com/pdfs/articles/Wrecks_ScapaFlow_RozLunn_93_protected.pdf Scapa 100: Centenary Anniversary Event] ''Xraymag'', issue 93, September 2019, p.13</ref>

== In popular culture ==
The circumstances of the event as well as computer generated 'scans' of the remaining scuttled ships on the seabed featured in an episode of the ''[[National Geographic]]'' documentary ''[[Drain the Oceans]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WWI Wrecks: Draining the Ocean: Ultimate Battleship - S1|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/g26rj8/drain-the-oceans--s1-e9-ww1-wrecks-draining-the-ocean-ultimate-battleship/|access-date=2020-12-03|website=Radio Times|language=en|archive-date=5 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305161245/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv-programme/e/g26rj8/drain-the-oceans--s1-e9-ww1-wrecks-draining-the-ocean-ultimate-battleship/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Kris Drever]]'s song "Scapa Flow 1919" explores the events from a German sailor's viewpoint.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New Single from Kris Drever - Scapa Flow 1919|url=https://www.folkradio.co.uk/2019/05/new-single-from-kris-drever-scapa-flow-1919/|website=www.folkradio.co.uk|date=15 May 2019 }}</ref>

== List of ships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name!!Type!!Sunk/Beached!!class="unsortable"|Fate<ref name=WWI>{{cite web |last=World War I Naval Combat |url=http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/scapa-flow.html |title=List of Warships Scuttled at Scapa Flow}}</ref>
|-
| {{SMS|Baden || 2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, sunk as a target in 1921
|-
| {{SMS|Bayern || 2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 14:30 || |Salvaged September 1934
|-
| {{SMS|Friedrich der Grosse|1911|2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 12:16 || |Salvaged 1936
|-
| {{SMS|Grosser Kurfürst|1913|2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 13:30 || |Salvaged April 1938
|-
| {{SMS|Kaiser|1911|2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 13:15 || |Salvaged March 1929
|-
| {{SMS|Kaiserin || 2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 14:00 || |Salvaged May 1936
|-
| {{SMS|König || 2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 14:00 || |Unsalvaged
|-
| {{SMS|König Albert || 2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 12:54 || |Salvaged July 1934
|-
| ''[[SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm (1918)|Kronprinz Wilhelm]]'' || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 13:15 || |Unsalvaged
|-
| {{SMS|Markgraf || 2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 16:45 || |Unsalvaged
|-
| {{SMS|Prinzregent Luitpold || 2}} || Battleship || align="center"|Sunk 13:15 || |Salvaged March 1931
|-
| {{SMS|Derfflinger || 2}} || Battlecruiser || align="center"|Sunk 14:45 || |Salvaged August 1939
|-
| {{SMS|Hindenburg || 2}} || Battlecruiser || align="center"|Sunk 17:00 || |Salvaged July 1930
|-
| {{SMS|Moltke || 2}} || Battlecruiser || align="center"|Sunk 13:10 || |Salvaged June 1927
|-
| {{SMS|Seydlitz || 2}} || Battlecruiser || align="center"|Sunk 13:50 || |Salvaged November 1928
|-
| {{SMS|Von der Tann || 2}} || Battlecruiser || align="center"|Sunk 14:15 || |Salvaged December 1930
|-
| {{SMS|Bremse || 2}} || Cruiser || align="center"|Sunk 14:30 || |Salvaged November 1929
|-
| {{SMS|Brummer || 2}} || Cruiser || align="center"|Sunk 13:05 || |Unsalvaged
|-
| {{SMS|Cöln|1916|2}} || Cruiser || align="center"|Sunk 13:50 || |Unsalvaged
|-
| {{SMS|Dresden|1916|2}} || Cruiser || align="center"|Sunk 13:50 || |Unsalvaged
|-
| {{SMS|Emden|1915|2}} || Cruiser || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to French control, broken up in 1926
|-
| {{SMS|Frankfurt || 2}} || Cruiser || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to American control, sunk as a target in 1921
|-
| {{SMS|Karlsruhe|1915|2}} || Cruiser || align="center"|Sunk 15:50 || |Unsalvaged
|-
| {{SMS|Nürnberg|1916|2}} || Cruiser || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, sunk as a target in 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">S032</span>{{SMS|S32|1914|2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged June 1925
|-
| <span style="display:none">S036</span>{{SMS|S36|1914|2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged April 1925
|-
| <span style="display:none">G038</span>{{SMS|G38 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged September 1924
|-
| <span style="display:none">G039</span>{{SMS|G39 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged July 1925
|-
| <span style="display:none">G040</span>{{SMS|G40 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged July 1925
|-
| <span style="display:none">V043</span>{{SMS|V43 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to American control, sunk as a target in 1921
|-
| <span style="display:none">V044</span>{{SMS|V44 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">V045</span>{{SMS|V45 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">V046</span>{{SMS|V46 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to French control, broken up in 1924
|-
| <span style="display:none">S049</span>{{SMS|S49 |1915| 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged December 1924
|-
| <span style="display:none">S050</span>{{SMS|S50 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged October 1924
|-
| <span style="display:none">S051</span>{{SMS|S51 |1915| 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">S052</span>{{SMS|S52 |1915| 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged October 1924
|-
| <span style="display:none">S053</span>{{SMS|S53 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged August 1924
|-
| <span style="display:none">S054</span>{{SMS|S54 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Partially salvaged
|-
| <span style="display:none">S055</span>{{SMS|S55 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged August 1924
|-
| <span style="display:none">S056</span>{{SMS|S56 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged June 1925
|-
| <span style="display:none">S060</span>{{SMS|S60 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to Japanese control, broken up in 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">S065</span>{{SMS|S65 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged May 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">V070</span>{{SMS|V70 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged August 1924
|-
| <span style="display:none">V073</span>{{SMS|V73 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">V078</span>{{SMS|V78 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged September 1925
|-
| <span style="display:none">V080</span>{{SMS|V80 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to Japanese control, broken up in 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">V081</span>{{SMS|V81 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Sunk on the way to the breakers
|-
| <span style="display:none">V082</span>{{SMS|V82 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">V083</span>{{SMS|V83 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged 1923
|-
| <span style="display:none">V086</span>{{SMS|V86 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged July 1925
|-
| <span style="display:none">V089</span>{{SMS|V89 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged December 1922
|-
| <span style="display:none">V091</span>{{SMS|V91 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged September 1924
|-
| <span style="display:none">G092</span>{{SMS|G92 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
|-
| {{SMS|V100 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to French control, broken up in 1921
|-
| {{SMS|G101 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged April 1926
|-
| {{SMS|G102 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to American control, sunk as a target in 1921
|-
| {{SMS|G103 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged September 1925
|-
| {{SMS|G104 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged April 1926
|-
| {{SMS|B109 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged March 1926
|-
| {{SMS|B110 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged December 1925
|-
| {{SMS|B111 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged March 1926
|-
| {{SMS|B112 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged February 1926
|-
| {{SMS|V125 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
|-
| {{SMS|V126 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to French control, broken up in 1925
|-
| {{SMS|V127 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to Japanese control, broken up in 1922
|-
| {{SMS|V128 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
|-
| {{SMS|V129 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged August 1925
|-
| {{SMS|S131 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged August 1924
|-
| {{SMS|S132 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to American control, sunk in 1921
|-
| {{SMS|S136 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged April 1925
|-
| {{SMS|S137 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Beached || |Transferred to British control, broken up in 1922
|-
| {{SMS|S138 |1918| 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged May 1925
|-
| {{SMS|H145 || 2}} || Destroyer || align="center"|Sunk || |Salvaged March 1925
|-
|}

== See also ==
* [[Scuttling of the Peruvian fleet at El Callao]] – during the [[War of the Pacific]], 1881
* [[Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon]] – during the [[Second World War]], 1942
* [[Operation Deadlight]]
* [[Operation Regenbogen (U-boat)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Butler|first=Daniel Allen|title=Distant Victory: The Battle of Jutland and the Allied Triumph in the First World War|year=2006|publisher=Greenwood |isbn=0275990737}}
* {{cite book|last=Fine|first=John Christopher|title=Lost on the Ocean Floor: Diving the World's Ghost Ships|year=2004|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=159114275X}}
* {{cite book|title=My Naval Career: 1880–1928|last=Fremantle|first=Admiral Sir Sydney Robert|author-link=Sydney Fremantle|year=1949|publisher=Hutchinson}}
* {{cite book|title=From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow, The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era, 1904–1919: 1917: Victory and Aftermath |volume=V|last=Marder|first=Arthur Jacob|author-link=Arthur Marder|year=1970|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=London|isbn=0192151878}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home/emergencyresponse/mcga-receiverofwreck/mcga-protectedwrecks/mcga-protectedwrecks-ancient.htm|title=Wrecks designated as Maritime Scheduled Ancient Monuments|access-date=11 August 2008|last=Maritime and Coastguard Agency|year=2007|work=MCA Receiver of Wreck|publisher=mcga.gov.uk|archive-date=17 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417153141/http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home/emergencyresponse/mcga-receiverofwreck/mcga-protectedwrecks/mcga-protectedwrecks-ancient.htm|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite book|last=Massie|first=Robert K.|author-link=Robert K. Massie|title=Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea|year=2004|publisher=Ballantine Books|location=New York|isbn=0345408780|title-link=Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea}}
* {{cite book|title=My Life|url=https://archive.org/details/mylife0000raed|url-access=registration|last=Raeder|first=Grand Admiral Erich|year=1960|publisher=United States Naval Institute|location=Annapolis, MD}}
* {{cite book|title=Scapa Flow: The Greatest Scuttling of All Time|last=Reuter|first=Ludwig von|author-link=Ludwig von Reuter|year=1940|publisher=Hurst & Blackett |location=London}}
* {{cite book|title=Scapa Flow 1919: Das Ende der deutschen Flotte|last=von Ruge|first=Friedrich|year=1969|publisher=Oldenburg|location=East Berlin|language=de}}
* {{cite book|last=van der Vat|first=Dan|author-link=Dan van der Vat|title=Standard of Power: The Royal Navy in the Twentieth Century|year=2000|publisher=Random House|location=London|isbn=0712665358}}
* {{cite book|last=van der Vat |first=Dan|title=The Grand Scuttle: The Sinking of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919|year=2007|orig-year=1987|publisher=Birlinn Ltd.|location=Edinburgh|isbn=9781843410386}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow|Scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow}}
* [http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/scuttle.html The scuttling at Scapa Flow]
* [http://www.scapaflowwrecks.com/ Scapa Flow Wrecks]

{{1919 shipwrecks}}{{Authority control}}

{{Good article}}

[[Category:1919 in Scotland]]
[[Category:History of Orkney]]
[[Category:World War I warships scuttled at Scapa Flow| ]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1919]]
[[Category:Protected wrecks of Scotland|German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow]]
[[Category:Military history of Scotland]]
[[Category:Naval history of Germany]]
[[Category:Military action involving Scottish islands]]
[[Category:Aftermath of World War I in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Aftermath of World War I in Germany]]