wrecks
Scapa Flow THE GERMAN 7
Text and photos KURT STORMS
SMS Brummer
WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO GO DIVING AT SCAPA FLOW? I HAD THOUGHTS LIKE THESE FOR YEARS. IT WAS DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES THAT I HAD NOT MADE IT THERE BEFORE, UNTIL ONE DAY A FRIEND OF MINE, STIJN, SENT ME A TEXT MESSAGE. HE WAS ASKING WHETHER I’D FANCY GOING ON A TRIP TO THE FAR NORTH OF SCOTLAND.
I
t took no long consideration to make the decision and after about 4 hours Stijn’s charter was full. The charter boat we were going to dive with was the MV Huskyan, with Emily
as the skipper. Wow, I had never seen such a diving charter – the finishing of this boat is perfection, designed and delivered especially by divers and for divers.
THE GERMAN FLEET OF SCAPA FLOW Scapa Flow is a huge natural harbour in the Orkney Islands, enclosing more than 100 square miles of relatively calm waters. The islands were used as protection for the British fleet in both World Wars. With the signing of the Armistice of 11 November 1918, the German fleet was quartered at Scapa with a skeleton crew until its fate could be decided. Admiral von Reuter mistakenly thought that war was about to break out and therefore gave the order to scuttle the fleet on 19 June 1919. The order was quickly carried out while the British ships guarding the Germans were out on an exercise and could not stop them. A total of 51 ships went to the bottom of Scapa Flow, with others being grounded to prevent them from sinking.
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