As for the men who sank their own fleet, they were considered to have committed an act of war during an armistice and were interned as prisoners of war until January 1920, the last World War I POWs to return home, where they received a hero’s welcome. Both men stood by their stories for the rest of their lives, with Von Reuter resolute that any British officer would have done as he had, faced with similar circumstances. His British counterpart suggested otherwise. The armistice had in fact been extended by two days, but Von Reuter later claimed he had not known that. Sixteen German sailors were wounded and nine killed during skirmishes, the last casualties of World War I. Fifty-two ships were on the bottom, the remainder beached by the Royal Navy. Meticulous preparation by his crews ensured success by late afternoon, where there was once a battle fleet was now floating debris.
Scapa flow full#
That morning, Von Reuter, in full dress uniform, gave the order to scuttle his fleet.
But as final peace proved elusive, the German fleet commander, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, became fearful the British would seize his ships, and formulated a plan to thwart such an outcome.įinally, Germany was given a deadline to accept peace terms by June 21, 1919, or war would resume. However, it was immediately after World War I that fate transformed this into one of the world’s great wreck-diving destinations.įollowing the November 1918 armistice, 74 ships of the Kaiserliche Marine were interned here. Scapa Flow-a strategically important natural harbor in the heart of the Orkney Islands-has seen its fair share of tragedy, including the World War II torpedoing of HMS Royal Oak, where 833 sailors lost their lives. We emerge and head forward, finding the spotting tower that would have helped guide those shells to their targets with deadly accuracy, before we ascend the anemone-covered hull to within 40 feet of the surface, whittling away our decompression stops along the way. These very guns fired some of the 264 shells expended by this vessel during an encounter that cost the lives of thousands of sailors on each side. All three German battleships in Scapa Flow saw serious action that included the Battle of Jutland, where the full might of the British and German fleets faced off in one of the most momentous sea battles in history. As we near the seabed, my dive partner, Bob Anderson, the affable captain of our boat, beckons me to follow him under the ship.Īcutely aware that I have a battleship above my head, I move with extreme care to avoid disturbing sediment, yet my apprehension dissipates as the enormous 12-inch gun emplacements appear, an awe-inspiring view of weapons once fired in anger. There are few wrecks in the world where divers can see the iconic main guns of a battleship this fact alone makes Kronprinz Wilhelm a favorite among wreck aficionados. While buried and inaccessible on this wreck, they are very much within reach on a nearby sister ship. There were 14 of these smaller 5.9-inch guns, used primarily for defense the offense came from the 10 main guns, which could hurl huge 900-pound shells onto targets 13 miles away. The starboard side, propped up by the superstructure, is where the most interest lies here we soon find more casemate guns, reminding us that this ship bristled with weaponry that could take on any opponent. Lying at 145 feet, the SMS Markgraf is the deepest of the German fleet wrecks here, a factor that may have helped protect it from extensive salvage, thus preserving one of the finest divable battleship wrecks in the world. Displacing more than 28,000 tons and measuring over 480 feet in length, there is so much to explore, more than enough for multiple dives.
The sheer scale of this ship must be seen to be believed. This is the mighty Markgraf, which at the time of its sinking was one of the most powerful battleships ever created. The distinct outline of a gun barrel emerges, menacing, as if it were sailing out of fog, and suddenly the ship reveals itself.
We drop another 60 feet into a tangle of twisted metal, our powerful lamps scanning for familiar shapes in an upside-down world, for this ship rolled as it sank, pulled over by the weight of thick deck armor and heavy weaponry. I hover above this metal desert, trying to comprehend the scene before heading over the side into the beckoning darkness. It is massive, beyond anything I’d imagined. Descending into an emerald void, I slow as the appearance of a hull surprises me.
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