In the often storm-tossed seas of the Atlantic lies the Scapa Flow off the Orkney Islands, which belong to Scotland. A very special stretch of water measuring more than 300 square kilometers, a kind of natural harbor off the two main islands of the Orkneys. But what makes it so unique is underwater. A ship graveyard that is probably one of the most spectacular diving spots in Europe, if not the world. The story of its creation tells of a forgotten chapter of the First World War.
According to the town's official website, the name Scapa Flow comes from the Norse word Skalpaflói, which means “The Bay of the Long Isthmus”. Accordingly, the place was first used by the British Admiralty around 1800 as a strategic natural harbor in the Napoleonic Wars. At a depth of up to 40 meters, merchant ships were allowed to anchor here before they set off for the Baltic North Sea ports. But Scapa Flow would not finally take its place in the history books until 1919.
During the First World War, the British fleet moved its base to the difficult-to-access Scapa Flow. Old defenses on land were also put back into operation at this time. After Germany had to admit its defeat in the war in 1918, the ships of the German Navy with their crew on board were held there as prisoners of war. And so on June 21, 1919, one of the greatest ship accidents in world history occurred.
The word “misfortune” is misleading, because it was actually an ordered tragedy. The commander of the German navy in the Scapa Flow, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, believed at this point that the peace negotiations with the victorious powers had failed. In order to prevent “his” ships from finally falling into the hands of the enemy, he had them sunk without further ado on his orders. That day, 52 German warships found their watery grave in the waters of Scapa Flow. To date, this is the largest sinking ever recorded.
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