THE GERMAN SHIPS AT SCAPA FLOW
[Illustration: THE SCUTTLING OF THE GERMAN SHIPS.]
THE GERMAN SHIPS AT SCAPA FLOW
Although the association of the Grand Fleet with Scapa Flow would of
itself have given that hitherto almost unknown spot a peculiar and
honourable significance in our naval history, it was undoubtedly the
choice of Scapa as the place of internment of the German ships and
their subsequent dramatic sinking, which made Scapa a familiar name,
not only in this country but all over the world. The photographs which
follow show the various phases of the German "occupation" of Scapa
from the time that the vessels arrived for internment to the final
scenes in March, 1920, when those vessels which had been salved after
the scuttling in June, 1919, were finally towed south for distribution
amongst the Allied Powers.
The first phase took place on 23rd November, 1918, and the succeeding
days, when the surrendered ships were escorted from Rosyth to Scapa and
anchored in the Flow, prior to taking up their permanent billets in
Gutter Sound (previously the collier anchorage of the Fleet; see map on
p. 110).
The ships arrived in the following order:
-------------+----------------------------+---------------------------
_Date._ | _German Vessels._ | _British Escort._
-------------+----------------------------+---------------------------
Saturday, | 20 Torpedo-Boat Destroyers.| Torpedo-Boat Destroyers.
23/11/18 | |
| |
Sunday, | 20 Torpedo-Boat Destroyers.| Torpedo-Boat Destroyers.
24/11/18 | |
| |
Monday, | 5 Battle Cruisers, 10 | "Lion" and First Battle
25/11/18 | Torpedo-Boat Destroyers.| Cruiser Squadron and 10
| | Torpedo-Boat Destroyers.
| |
Tuesday, | 5 Battleships and 4 Light | 5 Ships First Battle
26/11/18 | Cruisers. | Squadron and Second
| | Light Cruiser Squadron.
| |
Wednesday, | 4 Battleships, 3 Light | 4 Ships First Battle
27/11/18 | Cruisers. | Squadron and Third Light
| | Cruiser Squadron.
-------------+----------------------------+---------------------------
The German ships carried full navigating parties, and came north under
their own steam. The dense clouds of smoke which will be observed in
the photographs on pp. 102 and 103 testify to the poor quality of the
coal with which they were supplied. The crews were later reduced to
care and maintenance parties only.
[Illustration: J. F. V. Guise.
H.M.S. "LION" ENTERING HOXA BOOM, SCAPA FLOW, AT HEAD OF GERMAN BATTLE
CRUISERS, 25TH NOVEMBER, 1918.]
[Illustration: H.M.S. "REPULSE," "RENOWN," "PRINCESS ROYAL," AND
"TIGER" ESCORTING GERMAN BATTLE CRUISERS THROUGH HOXA BOOM, 25TH
NOVEMBER, 1918.]
The complete list of capital ships (apart from destroyers) interned at
Scapa is shown below. The battleships "König" and "Baden," and cruiser
"Dresden," were later arrivals.
BATTLESHIPS
BAYERN
MARKGRAF
KÖNIG
KAISERIN
KAISER
GROSSER KURFÜRST
KRONPRINZ WILHELM
FRIEDRICH DER GROSSE
KÖNIG ALBERT
PRINZREGENT LUITPOLD
BADEN
BATTLE CRUISERS
HINDENBURG
DERFFLINGER
SEYDLITZ
VON DER TANN
MOLTKE
LIGHT CRUISERS
BRUMMER
BREMSE
DRESDEN
KÖLN
EMDEN
KARLSRUHE
NURNBERG
FRANKFURT
During the period of their internment, communication between the German
ships and our own Fleet was restricted to a minimum, and no one from
our own ships was allowed on board the interned vessels unless on
duty of an urgent nature. The Germans were required to victual and
store their own ships from Germany, coal and water only being supplied
locally. As German warships were not constructed for living aboard for
long periods (the sailors being mostly accommodated in barracks when in
harbour), the crews at Scapa must have had a rather unenviable time of
it, though there was a certain element of poetic justice in interning
them in the region where for so long our own Fleet had kept its lonely
vigil. As one of their officers remarked in writing home and describing
the bleakness and desolation of Scapa: "If the English have stood this
for four years, they deserve to have won the war."
The German ships were patrolled by a number of drifters--a somewhat
ignominious guard for the much-vaunted German Fleet.
The Germans' love of music was in evidence even at Scapa, and it was
somewhat strange and at times rather pathetic to hear the unfamiliar
strains of "Die Wacht am Rhein" and "Die Lorelei" rising from the
German ships, some of which still retained their bands.
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLE CRUISER "SEYDLITZ" ENTERING HOXA BOOM,
25TH NOVEMBER, 1918.]
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLE CRUISER "VON DER TANN" ENTERING HOXA BOOM,
25TH NOVEMBER, 1918.]
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLE CRUISER "MOLTKE" ENTERING HOXA BOOM, 25TH
NOVEMBER, 1918.]
[Illustration: THE INTERNED GERMAN SHIPS AT SCAPA.]
The anniversary of Jutland (31st May) was not forgotten, and most of
the ships displayed bunting, on the pretext of drying their flags,
as they were not allowed to fly their ensigns after Beatty's signal on
the evening of the surrender at Rosyth. One of the ships prominently
displayed a notice in English: "To-day we celebrate the German victory
of the Battle of Jutland."
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLE CRUISER "SEYDLITZ." (One of the ships which
bombarded Scarborough.)]
It was somewhat difficult, owing to the isolation of the German ships,
to form an idea of the discipline which prevailed on board. It was
evident that on most of the ships there were representatives of the
Soldiers' and Sailors' Councils, as the members could be readily
distinguished by their white armlets. Indeed, there is probably some
truth in the report that when the German ships surrendered, the crews
confidently expected that our ships, the crews of which they believed
to be on the verge of mutiny and Bolshevism, would make common cause
with them, and they must have been considerably surprised when Admiral
Beatty refused to negotiate with the Council representatives. There
were undoubtedly disturbances on some of the German ships whilst they
were at Scapa, and it appears to have been due to a rather serious case
of insubordination that Admiral Von Reuter, who was in command of the
German ships, changed his flagship from the "Friedrich der Grosse" to
the "Emden."
On the other hand, the simultaneous sinking of the German ships on
21st June, 1919, proved conclusively that a certain discipline still
prevailed, for the scuttling was undoubtedly organised and carried out
with (from the German point of view) very commendable precision and
thoroughness.
The scuttling of the German ships on 21st June, 1919, has already been
briefly referred to in the earlier part of the book, but as the writer
was privileged to be an eyewitness of the events of that afternoon, the
reader will perhaps pardon the intrusion of the personal element in a
more detailed description of the sinkings.
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLE CRUISER "MOLTKE" AT SCAPA FLOW.]
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLE CRUISER "DERFFLINGER" AT SCAPA FLOW.]
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLE CRUISER "HINDENBURG" AT SCAPA FLOW.]
It was at five minutes past noon that the signalmen reported that the
German ships had hoisted ensigns and burgees. The excitement which
this announcement produced was intensified a short time later when it
became apparent that the ships were sinking, and that the crews were
taking to the boats. Lunch was completely forgotten, and arrangements
were hurriedly made to get all available small craft to the ships to
ascertain if anything could be done to save any of them. I obtained
permission from the Admiral to accompany him on an inspection of some
of the nearer destroyers, from which it was ascertained that there was
no possibility of saving any of the ships other than by beaching them,
as the sea-cocks had not been only opened but the valves had been
destroyed. Our picket-boat happened to come alongside at this stage,
so I jumped aboard and proceeded north up Gutter Sound, where the
larger vessels were anchored. Our instructions were to board any German
vessels which were still afloat, haul down their ensigns, and to take
such steps as were necessary to save life and to direct any boats or
Carley floats of Germans to the Flagship. Our picket-boat followed the
course shown in the sketch map on p. 110, and we reached the "Seydlitz"
at about one o'clock, boarded her and hauled down her colours, and
at the same time opened the windlass with a view to parting it and
allowing the vessel to drift ashore, but unfortunately it brought up at
the slip and held. The "Seydlitz" was then beginning to list heavily,
so we left her and next boarded the "Hindenburg," which was also
beginning to list heavily to port.
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLESHIP "FRIEDRICH DER GROSSE." (Admiral von
Reuter's Flagship.)]
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLESHIP "KAISERIN."]
[Illustration: GERMAN LIGHT CRUISER "KÖLN."]
[Illustration: GERMAN DESTROYERS AT LYNESS, WITH BATTLESHIPS IN THE
DISTANCE.]
We then proceeded past several of the battleships, which were seen
to be rapidly settling down. Whilst abreast of "König Albert," our
picket-boat was hailed from the deck of a trawler by the German
Admiral, Von Reuter, who asked us to save the crew of the "Bayern," who
were in the water. Two drifters which were near by were accordingly
ordered close to the "Bayern" for this purpose, and we proceeded in the
same direction, when the photographs on pp. 112 and 113 were taken.
Immediately afterwards the ship turned over to port, bottom up, and
sank, whilst the crews of the boats cheered loudly and waved their caps.
We next headed for the "Derfflinger," on the way sending back several
boats full of Germans to the "Victorious." The "Derfflinger" foundered
a few minutes after taking the photograph on p. 24. On the way back we
passed the "Hindenburg," which had then settled on to an even keel with
her masts and funnels showing, whilst the "Seydlitz" was then resting
in shallow water on her starboard side, with her decks nearly vertical,
and her port propeller just showing above the water.
Meantime a considerable number of the destroyers had been beached by
tugs and other small craft, in addition to three cruisers, whilst the
"Baden," the only battleship saved, was still afloat, though very low
in the water.
On arrival on the "Victorious" we found the ship crowded with
Germans, who, after examination, were sent to the Flagship, H.M.S.
"Revenge"--which had by this time returned to the Flow from the
Pentland, where the 1st Battle Squadron had been exercising--from which
ship they were sent south.
[Illustration: PLAN OF THE ANCHORAGE OF GERMAN SHIPS AT SCAPA FLOW.]
A large amount of salvage work ensued on the vessels which had been
beached, most of them being pumped out and docked in the Floating Dock,
although it was not found possible to get some of the destroyers off,
and these still remain as a memento of that eventful day.
All the salved ex-German ships have now been towed south, and have been
apportioned amongst the Allied Powers. It is interesting to note that
the "Baden" and "Nurnberg," of which several photographs are shown in
the following pages, have been allotted to Great Britain, whilst the
"Emden" goes to France, and the "Frankfurt" to U.S.A. It appears that
most of the salved vessels are to be broken up, thus finally disposing
of the remnants of the once great German Fleet.
[Illustration: A PARTY OF FRENCH OFFICERS VISITING THE GERMAN SHIPS.]
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLESHIP "BAYERN" SINKING BY THE STERN, 2 P.M.,
21ST JUNE, 1919.]
[Illustration: THE FINAL PLUNGE OF THE "BAYERN."]
[Illustration: GERMAN DESTROYERS SINKING OR BEACHED OFF THE ISLAND OF
FARA.]
[Illustration: GERMAN SAILORS TAKING TO THE BOATS.]
[Illustration: BRITISH BOARDING PARTY ALONGSIDE SINKING GERMAN
DESTROYER.]
[Illustration: GENERAL VIEW SHOWING GERMAN DESTROYERS SINKING ON THE
RIGHT AND BATTLESHIPS IN THE DISTANCE. AT 3.30 P.M., 21ST JUNE, 1919.]
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTLE CRUISER "HINDENBURG" AS SHE NOW RESTS AT
SCAPA.]
[Illustration: WHALER "RAMNA" STRANDED ON GERMAN BATTLE CRUISER
"MOLTKE" 23RD JUNE, 1919, TAKEN JUST BEFORE "RAMNA" REFLOATED.]
[Illustration: GERMAN CRUISER "NURNBERG" IMMEDIATELY AFTER BEING
REFLOATED AT 2 P.M. ON 3RD JULY, 1919.]
[Illustration: SALVAGE OPERATIONS ON BATTLESHIP "BADEN" AND CRUISER
"FRANKFURT" BEACHED AT SMOOGROO.]
[Illustration: SALVAGE WORK ON THE "BADEN."]
[Illustration: PUMPING OUT THE "FRANKFURT."]
[Illustration: CRUISER "BREMSE," WHICH CAPSIZED WHILST BEING BEACHED.]
[Illustration: BATTLE CRUISER "SEYDLITZ," LYING ON HER STARBOARD SIDE
IN SHALLOW WATER.]
[Illustration: HOISTING THE UNION JACK ON A SINKING GERMAN DESTROYER.]
[Illustration: ON THE "SEYDLITZ."]
[Illustration: "BADEN" BEING TOWED SOUTH TO INVERGORDON.]
[Illustration: SALVING GERMAN DESTROYER "G 102."]
[Illustration: SALVAGE PARTY WORKING ON A GERMAN DESTROYER.]
[Illustration: VIEW SHOWING SALVED EX-GERMAN CRUISERS AND DESTROYERS AT
LONG HOPE, OCTOBER, 1919.]
[Illustration: THE SALVED GERMAN CRUISERS "NURNBERG" AND "EMDEN" IN LONG
HOPE BAY.]
[Illustration: VIEW LOOKING AFT FROM AFTER-CONTROL TOP OF "FRANKFURT."]
[Illustration: VIEW LOOKING FORWARD FROM THE SAME POSITION.]
[Illustration: EXPANSION RING MARKING ON 6-INCH GUN "NURNBERG."]
[Illustration: A HUMOROUS EFFORT ON THE PART OF ONE OF OUR SAILORS.]
[Illustration: THE PROPELLER BLADE OF THE "SEYDLITZ."]
[Illustration: RANGE-FINDER AND SEARCHLIGHT PLATFORM, "NURNBERG."]
[Illustration: 88-MM. GUNS, "NURNBERG."]
[Illustration: 6-INCH GUN ON "NURNBERG" AFTER-TURRET.]
[Illustration: 5·9-INCH AFTER-BREECH, "NURNBERG."]
[Illustration: SEARCHLIGHT CONTROL PLATFORM, "FRANKFURT."]
[Illustration: 10·5-CM. GUN ON A GERMAN DESTROYER.]
[Illustration: TORPEDO TUBES ON A DESTROYER.]
[Illustration: ENGINE-ROOM CONTROL BOARD, "EMDEN."]
[Illustration: LOWER CONNING TOWER, "EMDEN."]
[Illustration: GERMAN DESTROYER BEING TOWED SOUTH TO ROSYTH, MARCH,
1920.]
EPILOGUE.
MARCH, 1921.
[Illustration: R. J. Towers. BLOWING UP THE MINEFIELDS. Group of mines
exploded in February, 1919, by the Quoyness Mining Station, Flotta
Island.]
[Illustration: R. J. Towers. CLOSER VIEW OF A MINE EXPLOSION.
Photograph taken a mile away with a telecentric lens.]
EPILOGUE
A few notes remain to be added to the preceding pages to complete
the story of Scapa to the present time. The war necessarily left its
aftermath at Scapa, as elsewhere, and although much of the "clearing
up" has been accomplished, there will remain for many years visible
traces of the "naval occupation" of the Orkneys.
The signing of the Armistice in November, 1918, entailed only a
cessation of active hostilities, and it was not until the summer of
1919 that the reversion of the Base from a war to a peace footing
really began. One of the earliest and most important operations to be
undertaken after the Armistice was the clearance of the North Sea mine
barrage between the Orkneys and Norway, which has already been briefly
referred to. This entailed a sweep over an area of 6,000 square miles,
and the destruction of over 70,000 mines. The American Minesweeping
Detachment, to which the major portion of this task was allotted,
arrived in Kirkwall in April, 1919, and by the end of September of that
year their task had been successfully accomplished, and the northern
gateway was open once more to the mercantile traffic of the world.
The mines which had been laid in the smaller areas around the
entrances to the Flow were exploded simultaneously in sections--a
very much simpler task, as these were connected electrically to shore
stations. The photographs on p. 140 give some idea of the force of the
explosions, which were audible for miles around. It is of interest to
note that the buoy shown on the left of the photograph on the lower
part of p. 140 marks the resting-place of the German submarine which
was sunk in this minefield a few days before the Armistice.
The removal of the booms and the release of the boom defence drifters
and trawlers was completed before the end of 1919. The fishermen
who formed the crews of these vessels, incidentally, deserve to be
recognised for their work during the war, the monotony and isolation of
which made their task one of the least enviable at the Base.
[Illustration: SALVAGE OPERATION ON S.S. "AORANGI" IN HOLM SOUND. 1.
T. Kent.]
[Illustration: SALVAGE OPERATION ON S.S. "AORANGI" IN HOLM SOUND. 2.
T. Kent.]
The raising of the barrier at Clestron (see p. 39) proved a more
formidable operation. The ice-breaker "Sviagator," early in 1920, made
the unique experiment of crushing some of the hurdles to a sufficient
depth to allow vessels of medium draught to pass over with safety, but
it was not until the summer of 1920 that the removal of the hurdles was
undertaken and completed by a salvage company, and the rails shipped
south.
The raising of the "block" ships, which had been sunk in some of the
narrow channels leading into the Flow, appears to have presented
almost insuperable difficulties, mainly owing to tidal currents, and
there does not seem to be much likelihood that the vessels in Burra
and Water Sounds will ever be raised. In Holm Sound, however, one of
the sunken ships, S.S. "Aorangi," was successfully salved by the East
Coast Wrecking Company on 8th September, 1920, and beached near the
churchyard at Holm.
Of the temporary shore establishments at Scapa very little now remains,
and the buildings which are still standing have nearly all been
converted to meet peace-time requirements. The "miniature base" at
Lyness is in the hands of caretakers, and the completion of the wharf
(on which £300,000 has been spent) has been stopped, whilst the control
of the Naval Area, which since February, 1920, had been in the hands of
Captain Alan G. Bruce, R.N., C.B., D.S.O., was on 1st December, 1920,
removed to Invergordon.
The air stations at Houton, Smoogro, Caldale, and Stenness have been
closed down or removed, whilst the seaplane station at Scapa has been
acquired by the Orkney County Council as a tuberculosis hospital.
Nearly all the shore batteries have been dismantled, the guns removed,
the searchlights withdrawn, and the huts sold or demolished. Only at
Hoy (Stromness) are the batteries intact, but these are in charge of a
civilian caretaker. The Royal Marine Station at Carness (near Kirkwall)
remains, but as a smallpox hospital under the Orkney County Council.
Various schemes have been under consideration for the removal of the
sunken German ships, but at present they still remain as they sank on
the memorable 21st June, 1919--a constant source of danger to ships
passing through the narrow channels where they lie. It remains to
be seen whether steps will eventually be taken to remove the more
dangerous of these vessels, or whether they will remain as a permanent
memorial of one of the most dramatic episodes of naval history.
[Illustration: SUNSET OVER THE HILLS OF HOY. (Mast of sunken German
destroyer showing in foreground.)]
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Transcriber's Notes.
In the text version, italics are denoted by underscores.
Some place names have been found with alternative spellings. These
alternatives may be legitimate and have been left as found.
Smoogroo, Smoogro
Burra, Burray
and
Stennis, Stenness.
The cruiser Nurnberg should be Nürnberg. This spelling has been
left as found.