WRECK DIVER
LONG WEEKEND IN SCAPA FLOW
At last! ROSS MCLAREN had dreamt of a visit to dive the classic wrecks of Scapa Flow, and he was determined to fit as much action as he could into his three days…
Out to the wrecks on the Jean Elaine.
MANY DIVERS DREAM of warm waters, with crystal clarity and colourful fish, but for me (history geek that I am) my diving goal has always been Scapa Flow.
So when the guys at Eastwood SAC in Glasgow invited me along for a trip to Orkney, I was like a kid at Christmas.
If you’re reading this, the chances are that you’re already familiar with Scapa and its claims to fame, but for anyone who has heard the name but is shaky on the history, let me offer a very brief lesson.
At the end of World War One and during negotiations at Versailles, the German High Seas Fleet was sailed to Scapa, one of Britain’s key naval bases.
The warships were to surrender there and be handed over to the British once the peace deal had been signed.
Originally 21 June was set as the date for the deal to be struck, and in theory if the signing hadn’t gone ahead the war would have resumed. However, the commander of the German fleet, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, was unaware that an extension had been agreed.
Thinking that talks had broken down when the deadline passed and the treaty had been left unsigned, von Reuter indeed assumed that the war was once again underway.
With his ships already disarmed, the only option left to the German sailors was to scuttle them to stop them from falling into enemy hands. Fifty-two ships were sunk that day.