For four days in October 2006, the MCA Emergency Towing Vessel “Anglian Sovereign” utilised her permanently-fitted hydrographic survey equipment to carry out a survey over the wrecks of the remaining seven scuttled German warships in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.  The survey was carried out as a joint project between the MCA, Historic Scotland, the University of New Hampshire, NetSurvey, and Sula Diving.

Data obtained during the survey will be forwarded to the UK Hydrographic Office for updating Admiralty Charts and Publications.  The survey also enabled the MCA to fine-tune the hydrographic survey systems onboard the “Anglian Sovereign”.  Other aims of the survey included monitoring the state of the wrecks and promoting understanding and appreciation of these monuments by charter boat owners and divers.

Survey Area Overview

Wreck of SMS “Brummer"

The picture opposite shows sonar data obtained over the wreck of the SMS "Brummer".  The vessel was a fast mine-laying light cruiser built at Stettin and launched on 11th December 1915.

Some salvaging work has been carried out on the wreck, resulting in the damage visible on the sonar image around the engine room.  The wreck is also breaking up due to its age.

On 21 June, 1919, 72 warships - the core of the German High Seas Fleet - were scuttled in Scapa Flow, Orkney. The self-destruction of the German High Seas Fleet is one of the most bizarre events in naval history.

The First World War had ended with the signing of the Armistice on 11 November 1918, but the fate of the interned German fleet had not been decided at the time of the scuttling.

The decision by the German commanding officer, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, to scuttle the fleet was partly due to honour, and partly due to the fear that the peace negotiations at Versailles would collapse resulting in a recommencement of hostilities.

Coupled with this, it has been suggested that the British government did not want to risk the German fleet being distributed amongst the other allies thereby upsetting the Royal Navy’s dominant world position and may have turned a blind eye to the scuttling.  The bulk of the British force supposedly guarding the interned German fleet had sailed on “exercise” on the morning prior to the scuttling, leaving the German ships, together with their  maintenance crews, largely unguarded.

However, when the scuttling commenced, the remaining British guards were taken by surprise and panic ensued.  In a variety of incidents, nine German sailors were shot dead and several were wounded.

When the fleet of over 400,000 tons of shipping had finally sunk, it represented the larges loss of shipping in any day in history.

However, the high quality armour plate of the scuttled vessels has proven extremely valuable and attractive (especially due to the fact that it was made prior to Hiroshima and is thus radiation-free) and salvage perations during the 20th century have resulted in all but seven of the wrecks being recovered for scrap.

The scuttling of SMS Bayern

The turrets of SMS Bayern lying on the seabed