Scapa Flow, the deep water body surrounded by the Orkney Islands of Scotland, has been a protected anchorage for warships since at least Viking times. It has also witnessed some of the largest and most tragic naval events of the two world wars. Today, Scotland’s dive site is a magnet for seasoned divers and naval history buffs drawn by its battleship graveyard and its famous WWI shipwrecks.
The sinking of the German fleet
After the Armistice of World War I, 74 ships of the German High Seas Fleet were ordered to enter Scapa Flow while surrender negotiations continued. They stayed for 10 months, becoming a tourist attraction.
As the signing of the formal surrender approached, Admiral von Reuter, the German commander, prepared to destroy his navy rather than see it fall under British control. On June 21, 1919, with most of the British fleet in exercises, he gave the order to sink the ships. All 74 fell in minutes. It was the largest naval ship sinking in history.
Although most of the ships were retired in the 1920s, seven ships from the German fleet, three battleships, and four cruisers remain at Scapa Flow, making it one of the most important and popular wreck dive sites in the world. Europe. As an interesting comment, some of the steel that continues to be recovered from the sunken fleet from time to time is used in the manufacture of geiger counters, as it sank before there was any possibility of radioactive contamination.
Most of the German sailors were already ashore when the German fleet sank. Skeleton crews were on board and all were rescued. A buoy in another area of the Flow marks a much greater human tragedy.
The sinking of HMS Royal Oak
At the beginning of World War II, a large part of the British Royal Navy was stationed at its main anchorage, Scapa Flow. On the night of October 13, 1939, a German submarine entered the flow through its eastern entrance. He torpedoed HMS Royal Oak, a battleship that was being used as a temporary home for sailors stationed in Orkney. Of the 1,400 on board, 833 died when the ship capsized and sank. Today, the Royal Oak site is a protected war grave, marked by a buoy and an oil slick that continues to flow from it.
The eastern channel to Scapa Flow was sealed off with the construction of the Churchill Barriers which now support a road link between mainland Orkney and the smaller islands of Burray and South Ronaldsay.
Diving the German wreckage
Several dive centers in Orkney operate guided dives to see the destroyed German fleet and the flora and fauna of Scapa Flow:
- Scapa Flow Diving Center operates a charter boat for fishing, diving and sightseeing in Flow. The company’s ship, the 63-foot boat, the Crusader, can accommodate up to 12 divers for vacations and holidays. Up to eight divers can live aboard the Crusader, which now has a sauna. Larger groups can book dive vacations alone. Fishing parties of up to 8 live aboard or 12 anglers can book week-long fishing vacations. The crusader regularly participates in national angling championships, where its anglers have won awards for the best catch, the largest fish catch, and the most species catch. The boat is equipped with the latest fish finding equipment, rods and reels can be hired with the letter.
- Scapa Scuba is an accredited PADI 5 * dive center and dive shop. They offer guided dives, equipment rentals, dry suit repair, and Nitrox courses and can work with experienced divers or beginners. Its bright red center is a restored old lifeboat station and is a local landmark in the town of Stromness. They offer a variety of open water courses, advanced open water and lifeguards. A popular alternative, their Try a Dive half-day course, is open to anyone 10 and older who is reasonably fit and able to swim.
- The MV Invicible at 25 meters is the largest ship in Orkney’s dive fleet. It can accommodate up to 12 live divers on board, offering a fully equipped stable dive platform that includes a diver lift and can satisfy all technical requirements.
