The operation to break into the main base of Scapa Flow in order to sink a large enemy warship and successfully exit back was carefully prepared in deep secrecy at the headquarters of the submarine forces of the German Navy. A narrow circle of specialists was devoted to the details of the development, the commander of the Kriegsmarine, Admiral K. Doenitz, writes about this in his memoirs. An intensive collection of information was carried out through various channels and sources. 
1939 United Kingdom. The forty-fourth day of the war is going on, the most terrible and bloody war in the history of mankind. An anxious October night has fallen over the Orkney Islands. A cold northeast wind is blowing, tearing white lambs from the crests of the waves. The road is deserted and uncomfortable. In the hollow of the mountains, the rare lights of the port of Kirkwall glow. A mile from the mouth of the river Burn - of - Deepdale on the roads of Scapa - Flow, the main base of the Royal Navy, the battleship Royal Oak froze. The ship has just returned from another trip to the North Atlantic. The tired and tired team received a long-awaited rest. It seems that nothing foreshadowed trouble, when suddenly a dull blow shook the entire battleship. The GKP received a report: “Underwater hole in the stem area. The liquid fuel tank was damaged, the anchor chains were torn off the stoppers. After 12 minutes, the battleship is shaken sequentially, at short intervals, two explosions at the starboard side, and after them, after 5 minutes, a high column of water shot up at the starboard side in the chimney area. It was the powder cellar of anti-aircraft and anti-mine artillery that exploded. |
The mortally wounded battleship, hissing and spewing puffs of steam from broken steam pipelines, fell on the starboard side and capsized, dragging 833 human lives into the cold abyss at the point with coordinates Ws = 58 degrees 55 minutes 58 seconds Dz = 02 degrees 57 minutes 90 seconds. The commander of Home Fleet, Admiral Blangrove, perished along with the ship. So the battleship of the Royal Navy of Great Britain "Royal Oak" was lost.
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| A few days later, the whole world learned that the battleship was torpedoed by the German submarine U-47, which penetrated the raid of the heavily defended Scapa Flow base and successfully escaped unnoticed after two torpedo attacks. |
Born in 1908 in the ancient Baltic city of Lübeck. His family barely made ends meet, and his mother was often afraid to open accounts because she was unable to pay them. At 15, Gunther left home to earn his own living and allow his mother to raise other children. He entered an independent life in an era of terrible crisis, when one US dollar was worth 4,200,000,000,000 German marks. After earning hard currency as a tour guide at the Leipzig International Fair, Prien paid for his education at a maritime school in Hamburg-Finkenwerder, called the "sailor's factory". Here he acquired the basics of maritime knowledge. Then Prien got a job as a cabin boy on the steamer "Hamburg". During a winter storm, the ship sank, but Prin was lucky: he managed to swim to the Irish coast. For several years, Günter Prien worked on various ships, learning his craft. Thanks to diligence and at the cost of great effort, he earned a captain's certificate, but could not find a ship for himself. The merchant marine was ravaged by the Great Depression. The twenty-four-year-old captain was forced to enlist in the Volunteer Labor Army. Now he had a roof over his head and food, but did not receive any money. When Prien found out that the Navy was recruiting merchant marine officers to replenish the reserve, he did not hesitate to make a decision. In January 1933, he began his service in the Kriegsmarine as an ordinary sailor.
Prien made his way upstairs again. He went to a submariner's school where he met and befriended Werner Hartmann, commander of U-26, who took him in. U-26 took part in the Spanish Civil War. In 1938, Günther Prien graduated from the courses of submarine commanders and was given command of U-47. By this time, Prien was already married and had a young daughter. He once shocked his wardroom mates with the following statement: "I would prefer a month-long maneuver in the Atlantic to any vacation!"
Prin didn't know what to say. Scapa Flow was the main base of the British Home Fleet. It was believed that it was impossible to get there. This base, located in the Orkney Islands, was associated with a black page in the history of the German Navy. Here, after the First World War, the Kaiser's officers scuttled the Atlantic Squadron, which had been interned by the British. A victory won in such a place would have encouraged the Reich. In addition, during the First World War, two German submarines managed to enter Scapa Flow through barrier nets and were never seen again. But Doenitz had information from the captain of a merchant ship who, a few weeks earlier, had been in the port of Kirkwell, located north of Scapa Flow, where he had heard that the British had ceased to monitor the eastern entrance to the strait. Aerial photography confirmed this message. There was a passage 17 meters wide in the anti-submarine barriers, through which an experienced commander could lead a submarine into the harbor of Scapa Flow.
The next day, Lieutenant Prien reported to Doenitz that he was ready to carry out this task. The attack was scheduled for the night of October 13-14.
On the morning of October 13, Prien made a dive and informed the crew of his task. Despite the obvious danger, the sailors greeted his words with enthusiasm. At 7:15 p.m., Prien surfaced and saw that the sky was illuminated by flashes of the northern lights. Suppressing a curse, he decided to act.
Slowly, overcoming the oncoming current, narrowly avoiding a collision with the fence, U-47 crept unnoticed into Scapa Flow. At 00.58 Prien saw the battleship Royal Oak and the old aircraft carrier Pegasus and fired 4 torpedoes from a distance of 4 thousand yards. But one device did not work, and out of 3 torpedoes, only one exploded near the battleship. There was no reaction from the British. Prien started to circulate, going into a new attack, and his men loaded 4 new "fish".
Unbeknownst to Prien, the British assumed that the explosion, which did no harm to the Royal Oak, had occurred inside the battleship, and therefore did not raise the alarm.
At 1:16 a.m., Prien made a second attack, firing four more torpedoes at the Royal Oak. Two of them exploded, detonated artillery cellars. There was a deafening explosion that tore the battleship with a displacement of 31,200 tons into two parts. Debris flew into the air, the Royal Oak capsized and sank in 23 minutes, killing the commander of Nome Fleet, Admiral Blangrove, and 832 crew members.
And the unnoticed and completely defenseless U-47, without sinking, at 2.15 passed through the passage in the anti-submarine barrier and went out to the open sea.
When U-47, escorted by two destroyers, entered Wilhelmshaven, she was greeted by a cheering crowd, an orchestra, and a delegation of very important people, led by Grand Admiral Raeder, who boarded the boat and shook hands with each sailor (which was very unusual for him). He presented each with an Iron Cross 2nd Class. Prien was to personally report to the Fuhrer on the progress of the operation. At noon, the FW.200 and Ju.52, Hitler's personal planes, landed in Wilhelmshaven, bringing the entire U-47 crew to Berlin. When they landed at Tempelshof the next day, all the streets along the way from the airfield to the Kaiserhoftel were filled with a crowd shouting: "We want Prin!" Hitler received them at the Reich Chancellery and awarded Prien with the Knight's Cross. In the evening Goebbels received the sailors at the Winterganter Theatre. They then toured nightclubs, where the ban on dancing was lifted in their honor for that evening.
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Günther Prien became the idol of the Reich. But fame bothered him. Letters from women, which came in bags, he simply threw away without reading, saying that he was not a movie star. Prin liked to drink beer and talk with friends. According to those who knew him, he had an excellent sense of humor. But in the service, Prien was transformed. He and his officers mercilessly reprimanded subordinates for the slightest mistake. Iron discipline reigned aboard U-47. But the morale of the crew was high. In late 1939, the sailors painted a bull on the conning tower, and Prien became known as "Bull Scapa Flow".
Günther Prien died in March 1941.
On March 8, Prien attacked convoy OV-293 en route from Liverpool to Halifax. Submarines sank 2 ships, but their losses were huge. Hans Ekrrman's boat was so badly damaged that she had to surface and leave for Lorraine. Corvette Captain Joachim Matz was forced to sink his U-90. Even U-91, under the command of Otto Kretschmer, had to flee from the escort ships, which was led by Commander James Royland, nicknamed Wolverine.
The stubborn Günther Prien continued to attack the convoy and sank the 28th ship. But then luck changed him. Suddenly the rain stopped, the clouds parted and the setting sun came out, illuminating U-47 right in front of Wolverine. Prien immediately sank, but Roiland immediately dropped a series of bombs. He couldn't miss. U-47 was badly damaged. Prien was forced to stay underwater until dark and surfaced a few miles from the original dive site. Immediately, Wolverine rushed at him. U-47 quickly plunged into the water. She never surfaced again. The explosion of a depth charge tore the boat apart. A few minutes later, debris, debris and oil stains appeared on the surface - a sure sign that the boat was lost. Nobody was saved.
For some time, the OKM hid this depressing news from the people, withholding it until May 23, when Prien was posthumously promoted to frigate captain.
Prien realized that plans for a Sunday walk would have to be done away with. It was about an extremely important matter.
By the appointed hour, Günther Prien reported his arrival and immediately learned that Lieutenant Commander Wellner was already with the commander. Why Wellner? Prien recalled that Wellner was the commander of one of the "one-trees", which was from September 13 to 29 in the strait between Orkney and the Baltic Sea. From September 13 to 29, his boat was engaged in arranging navigational fences and lighting the fairway there, fighting against strong sea currents.
The first thing Prien saw was a nautical chart spread out on the table, on which the name of Scapa Flow was underlined. Scapa Flow is the main base of the British Navy, where the metropolitan fleet anchored.
First of all, Wellner reported on the difficulties he had to face: powerful sea currents and the strength of the tides, which the weak engines of his submarine could hardly cope with. His finger indicated points on the map where close observation of the enemy could be expected, on the barriers set up around the anchorage of the English fleet. He concluded his report with the assertion that it was possible to enter Scapa Flow Bay from the south, through Hawkes Strait. While the barriers were strong, he said they had passageways for the entry and exit of patrol boats.
The idea of penetrating Scapa Flow had occupied Dönitz from the very beginning of the war. However, since he remembered two similar attempts made during the First World War, which cost the lives of the crews of Eisman and Hennig's submarines, he each time abandoned the idea of repeating this enterprise.
Since then, Dönitz carefully studied the map of this sea area: the depths, passages and routes of English ships were known or could be calculated. Along with the difficulties created by the sea current at a speed of 10 knots, it was necessary to count on increased attention from the enemy. Naturally, the British command knew the bay very well, and it could be quite confidently assumed that numerous defensive structures were installed in it, unknown to the commander of the submarine forces. Lieutenant Commander Auerne of the operations headquarters, however, was convinced that one day the entrance to the bay would be found.
On September 8, Dönitz received aerial photographs taken by a reconnaissance aircraft, which showed that several obstacles of various sizes were located north of Fleet Island and in the passage between the islands of Sweet and Riza.
On September 26, another plane returning from a reconnaissance flight brought back especially good photographs of Cleestrum Sound from Ries to Svit, which also showed part of Hawks Sound, part of the raid itself and the small town of Kirkval 1.
A detailed study of the submitted documents convinced the commodore that it was impossible to pass through the straits of Hawkes, Sweet and Clestrum, since too many barriers had been installed there.
Holm Sound in the east, on the other hand, was protected only by a few old ships scuttled off the northern coast of the Kirk Sound pass. In the south, in the direction of Holm-Sund, there was a passage 170 meters wide, reaching the border of low water. In this place, the depth of the sea was only 7 meters. To the north of the scuttled ships, another passage was found in the barriers, but it turned out to be too narrow. The coast on both sides was uninhabited.
Thus, it was assumed that the penetration of the roadstead of Scapa Flow at high tide is possible. Of course, everything was complicated if the British raised the alarm. However, even in this situation, the task assigned to the crew of the submarine would have been completed, and Prien could, under such circumstances, destroy his boat and surrender with the crew. Sinking or simply damaging a few British ships would balance the balance of power in the loss of a submarine. However, reporting to Grand Admiral Raeder, Dönitz claimed that Prien would definitely get back, and Raeder approved the operation. Now the path to the implementation of plans was free, only the strict keeping of details in secret was required.
Prien answered yes, and the operation was scheduled for the night of 13/14 October. Both the tide and the ebb at this time fell on a moonless darkness. On October 4, Dönitz recalled the submarines U-10, U-18, U-20 and U-23, located near the Orkney Islands, in order not to give the enemy the slightest reason for increased vigilance in these waters.
On the way to Scapa Flow
U-43 left Kiel on 8 October. Going out to sea, Prien was inspired by the task and absolutely calm. He knew that he could rely entirely on his boat, on his first mate Endrass, and on his well trained and disciplined crew. He memorized the sea map of the area of forthcoming actions along with all the currents and depths.
The North Sea was turbulent, with a force 7 wind blowing from the southeast. Along the way, the boat ran into several English ships, but left their path, so that the crew soon noticed that some special assignment was ahead, such as the destruction of some extremely important target with the help of new electric torpedoes 2 .
Dönitz certainly wanted to avoid a situation in which U-47 would not find a single worthwhile target in the bay. Therefore, on October 12, at 1500, one last aerial reconnaissance was carried out. Lieutenant Neve reported that there were 5 heavy battleships and 10 light cruisers in Scapa Flow. The results of the reconnaissance were immediately transmitted to Prien by radio, but he could not receive the message, because at that time his boat was moving under full immersion. Shortly before that, she reached the Orkney Islands.
After the commander studied the coast on October 12, he wrote in his journal: "The British are so kind that they lit all their fires, this allows me to make an accurate position determination."
On October 13, at 4.37 at a depth of 90 meters, the submarine lays down on the ground, and Prien gives the crew the opportunity to rest.
He informs Endrass about the task assigned to the crew, and then gathers the rest of the crew at his place. People must have been a little excited, but they didn't show it.
Prien briefly explained that in a few hours an attempt would be made to pass through the Scapa Flow barriers. He gave some more instructions and ordered that explosive charges be placed in appropriate places in case the crew had to sink U-47. Everyone, with the exception of the watch, now had to sleep. The rise was scheduled for 4 pm, then after a short but plentiful breakfast, the operation began.
The crew silently listened to their commander, not a single muttering, not a single remark, but no enthusiasm.
Prien, along with Endrass, checked all the rooms of the boat. He knew that he would not be able to sleep, but he had to set a good example for his crew. Whether he wanted it or not, he always saw before him the map of Scapa Flow and, above all, Holm Sound. There were only a few hours left before the big adventure began.
16.00 rise, 17.00 meal: pork and cabbage. 19.15 everyone in their places, Prien, Endrass and navigator Wilhelm Spahr in the central control room ...
The commander of the electromechanical warhead, Hans Wessels, lifts the boat from the ground, it's nice to feel how, after a short shaking, it picks up speed and goes above the water.
Prien kept watch carefully through the periscope. For a boat like the U-47, not equipped with a locator, the moment of ascent is dangerous. There is a possibility of being near an enemy warship and falling under the ship's stem.
Nothing like that happens. The boat sparkles under the light of the northern lights, like a seal, from the water rolling down the hull. Diesel engines are on, electric motors are off. Prin opens the hatch, he is horrified: the sky above his head is bright and clear! The crew members at the observation posts see at first only an empty sea, then, directly ahead of Rose Ress, a merchant ship appears, and the commander gives the order to dive. When the boat surfaced again, the ship had already disappeared. With a strong current, the boat enters Holm-Sund.
Prin makes an entry in his journal: “The coast is hard to see, everything is in the dark. The coast is approaching, the sunken ship that serves as a barrier in Skerry Sound is becoming more and more clearly visible, and I believe that we will soon be in Kirk Sound. I'm getting ready to act. The navigator draws attention to my mistake at the moment when I myself have already noticed it.
I avoid collision by turning the starboard side completely, and in a few minutes the entire Kirk Sound is open to me.
Magic night! On the coast, everything lies in darkness, the aurora borealis illuminates the sky ... The ships flooded in the strait seem like fantastic theatrical scenery ...
I am rewarded for studying the map so diligently. The passage succeeds with incredible speed. In the meantime, I decided to bypass the hulls of the sunken ships from the north. On a heading of 270, I pass a two-masted schooner I spotted on a heading of 315 degrees. I have more than enough room to maneuver. A minute later, the current presses us to starboard. At 45 degrees straight ahead, I see a chain stretched between the ships of the barrier. Changes of course quickly following one after another, the right engine is small forward, sharply to the left of the rudder. We gently touch the ground, the stern rubs against the chain, the boat is pushed slightly to the port side, but after difficult maneuvering it picks up speed again. We're inside Scapa Flow."
Prien leans over to the speaking tube and calls the control room: "We're inside!", but in his journal he still reveals his thoughts: "The view of Scapa Flow is extraordinary. Surrounded by high dark mountains, the bay is illuminated from above by the lights of the northern coast. In the south, near the small island of Kava, not a trace of enemy ships is visible, but the scattered light spilled over the entire raid is deceptive. And Prin heads for Kava.
0.27. “There, on Hawks Sound, I found a guard for which in a few seconds the boat could become a target. Nothing will come of it, besides, no enemy ships were still found from the starboard side, despite the fact that in all other directions, even at the greatest distances, everything was clearly distinguishable. So the solution is: there is nothing to starboard, so before every chance of success is at stake, all available targets must be hit. Therefore, it is necessary to reverse course along the coast to the north, where there are two battleships, further under the coast, at anchor, are the destroyers. The presence of cruisers is impossible to determine. Attack both fat men."
0.58. “Battleships are located at a distance of 3000 meters from the submarine. Of the bow tubes, one torpedo was fired at a ship located to the north 4 , two - at another unit 5 .
He took a course in the direction of the exit from the bay to the starboard side. After 3.5 minutes, one explosion in the area of \u200b\u200bthe northern target, the torpedoes fired at the second ship did not explode. One torpedo from the stern tube did not come out on the second ship, reloading of stern tubes No. 1 and 2, turning to the target.
Time passes, everything is still in Scapa Flow. The fourth torpedo did not reach the target. Silence is maintained, as if the raid is empty or as if the ships are unmanned. Incredible!
Prien is on a curve to Kirk Sound, now intent on attacking the British battlecruiser he believes to be Royal Oak. Not a single searchlight was turned on, not a single destroyer moved towards the submarine. Unclear! U-47 literally walks along the raid. Torpedo tube reloading completed.
1.23. “Three torpedoes were fired from the bow tubes at the nearest target, and the course was again taken to exit the bay. Three minutes later, a powerful explosion is heard on the battleship. Columns of water are rising, you can see the glow of a fire, debris is flying into the air. Now the port is bustling! Lights are on on the destroyers, Morse devices are working from all sides. One battleship sunk, another damaged. All torpedo tubes are empty."
1.28. Prien and his submarine have succeeded, victory! Now it's about getting out of Scapa Flow unscathed. The commander saw the driver of one of the cars stop the car at the level of the submarine and turn around in order to return to Scapa Flow as soon as possible. However, this no longer mattered, since the alarm was raised after the sinking of the battleship. Up to Skidoney Point, the boat did not meet any obstacles, there the current was opposite for it, so the course was set for Kirk Sound, where there is a loophole to the exit, and this time Prien intends to pass by the southern ship. However, the current intensifies all the time, the water foams near the hull, and it seems that the boat will not be able to take advantage of the circumstances and she will have to stay in the roadstead. One of the destroyers is already approaching with a large breaker in front, probably, its commander has already noticed U-47 and intends to destroy it with side guns or by ramming.
However, the destroyer suddenly changes course and disappears. Did his commander and observation posts on the bridge really not see the boat?!
“The current is contrary,” Prien records in his ship's log. - We were going at 10 knots, sent the boat south of the passage in order to avoid low water. Back north without hitting the barrage ship. The helmsman is magnificent, and, finally, having overcome the narrow part of the passage, I decide to give full speed ahead ... At this moment, on the right side of the board ahead of us, a port pier was discovered. Sharply to the left of the rudder, then again the same course. 2.15. Finally got out of the Scapa!”
"We passed!" Prin screams. The crew beams with joy. Most of them did not see anything, they remained at their combat posts, and behind them were hours full of tension, as well as the time during which they were not aware of the danger of their position. Now everything is behind. U-47 is heading freely south to Kiel. Prien wants to relay the good news to Dönitz as soon as possible, but this will have to wait until the boat has finally left the patrol area of enemy ships. The British would have gladly done away with a submarine that had ventured into Scapa Flow. “There are five torpedoes left on board to attack merchant ships,” Prien writes in his diary.
On the way back, Endrass recalls a funny picture he saw in one of the newspapers, and an idea comes to his mind. He orders that they bring him white paint and a brush, with which he painted on the tower a bull with lowered horns, releasing sheaves of fire from its nostrils. This he called the "bull of Scapa Flow", which was to become a symbol of fighting spirit and the emblem of a submarine.
At this time, the commander of the submarine fleet was intently waiting for news from U-47. Did Prin complete the task? Is he resting with his crew, lying on the ground, or has he been taken prisoner by the British?
On October 14, he receives a message. Prin successfully completed the assigned combat mission. And the British themselves report it.
Dönitz's joy could not be greater, and he writes his report, but his satisfaction is overshadowed. Was Prien's prey really just one ship of the line? Was the raid empty?
Three torpedoes hit Royal Oak, killing 24 officers and about 800 sailors. At the time of the attack, the defensive structures were not fully erected. “Ironically,” writes Roskill, “there was a ship that was supposed to be scuttled as a barrage at the spot where U-47 made its way into Scapa Flow the day after Prien’s attack.”
After the torpedoing of Royal Oak, the Archdiocese's fleet left the waters of Scapa Flow and anchored at Loch Ewe in Scotland, as well as at Sallmore in the Shetland Islands. German propaganda actively used the act of Lieutenant Commander Prien, Captain 1st Rank Dönitz was awarded the rank of Rear Admiral 6 .
On the night of October 13-14, 1939, U-47, under the command of Corvette Captain Günther Prien, made a daring raid on the main base in the harbor of Scapa Flow.
Winston Churchill: "This episode, which can rightfully be regarded as a military feat by the commander of a German submarine, shocked public opinion."
"We're inside," I said.
No one answered, but it seemed to me that the whole boat held its breath, and the engines began to work quieter and faster.
It was a wide bay. Although the hills surrounding it were very high, from a boat they looked like a chain of low dunes. Carefully looking in all directions, we moved forward into calm waters. Several lights flew over the water like shooting stars. I felt the blood pounding in my temples. But these were only tankers sleeping at anchor. Finally, there, closer to the shore, the majestic silhouette of a warship appeared, clear, as if drawn in black ink in the sky. All its contours seemed filigree work.
We slowly approached him. At that moment, all feelings freeze. You become part of the boat, the brain of this steel beast, stalking towards its huge prey. At such a moment you must identify yourself with iron and steel - or perish.
We crept even closer. Now we could clearly see the protrusions of the gun turrets, the cannons of which rose menacingly into the sky. The ship lay like a sleeping giant.
I think he's a Royal Oak class, I whispered.
Endras nodded silently.
We crept even closer and suddenly, behind the first silhouette, we saw the vague outlines of a second ship, as huge and powerful as the first. We were able to recognize it by seeing the bridge and gun turret astern of the Royal Oak.
It was Repulse. We must attack him first, because the Royal Oak is right in front of us and will not go anywhere.
All devices are ready.
The command echoed through the boat. Then silence, interrupted only by the gurgling sounds of water going into the apparatus.
Then the hiss of compressed air and a heavy metallic sound as the lever is pushed into position. Then the report:
One device is ready.
Fire! Endras commanded.
The boat shook. The torpedo went to the target.
If she hits, and she should hit, because the silhouette is right in front of our eyes ...
Five, ten, fifteen...
Time seemed like an eternity. Not a sound can be heard on the boat, only Shpar's voice resounds heavily in the silence:
Twenty...
Our eyes are fixed on the target, but the steel fortress remains motionless.
Suddenly, a column of water rises from the nose of the Riials into the air and a dull sound of detonation is heard.
It's like scolding in a distant quarrel.
Got it, says Andras.
Instead of an answer, I ask:
Is the second device ready?
I steered the boat towards the Royal Oak. We had to hurry, otherwise they would grab us before we fired the second torpedo.
Five to port.
The boat turned slowly to the left.
Steering wheel in the middle.
We were right up against Royal Oak. He looked even stronger than before. His shadow seemed to be reaching out to us. Schmidt steered the boat as if he could see the target himself. The middle of the ship in the crosshairs. Now is the right moment.
Fire, Andras commands.
Again the boat shudders from the recoil, and again Shpar's voice begins to count:
Five... ten...
But then something happens that no one expected, and those who saw it will never be able to forget. A wall of water rises to the sky. The impression is that the sea has suddenly risen.
One after another, loud explosions sound like battle drums, and combine in a powerful ear-tearing roar.
Flames, blue, yellow, red, strike the sky. The sky is completely obscured by these infernal fireworks. Black shadows soar through the flames like huge birds, and with hissing and splashing fall into the water. Fountains of water rise high up, and where they fall, fragments of masts and pipes are visible. We must have hit a munitions depot, and the lethal cargo tore our own ship apart.
I couldn't take my eyes off this sight.
It seemed as if the gates of hell were flung open and I looked into the blazing furnace. I looked down into the boat.
It was dark and quiet below. I could hear the hum of the engines, even Ciar's voice and the helmsman's responses. As never before, I felt a kinship with these people, silently fulfilling their duties. They see no light of day, no purpose, and will die in the dark if need be.
I called down:
He's been finished off!
It was quiet for a minute. Then a mighty roar rumbled through the ship, an almost bestial roar that released the pent-up tension of the last twenty-four hours.
Be silent! I shouted, and it became quiet.
Three points to the left.
And the helmsman's response:
Three points to the left.
The fireworks over the Royal Oak were dying away, only occasionally revived by occasional belated explosions. Feverish activity began in the bay. Above the water, searchlights fumbled with their long white fingers. Lights lit up here and there, small fast lights above the water, the lights of destroyers and submarine hunters.
They zigzagged like dragonflies over the dark surface. If they catch us, we're lost. I took one last look around. The wrecked ship was dying. I didn't see any more worthwhile targets, only pursuers.
Left aboard, I ordered. - Both diesels full speed ahead.
There was only one thing left for us to do: get out of this witch's cauldron and get the boat and the Crew home safely.
The hills disappeared again. The current, which here has the strength of a furious stream, grabbed us and threw us from side to side.
The engines ran idle. It seemed that we were moving at a snail's pace, and sometimes we just stood still, like a trout in a mountain stream. Behind them, the lights of a destroyer emerged from the tangle of lights and rushed straight towards us. And we couldn't move forward.
The boat was thrown from side to side, while the enemy persistently caught up with us. We could already make out its narrow silhouette against the sky.
I wonder if he'll catch up with us? Andras asked hoarsely.
Fullest forward! I ordered.
The engines are running at top speed, came the reply.
Turn on the electric motors. Give everything you can.
It was a nightmare. We seemed to be held by an invisible force, and death was approaching closer and closer. Dots and dashes flashed.
He's giving signals," Andras whispered.
The boat shuddered as it pulled up against the current.
We have to get out... We have to get out. This single thought pounded in my head in the same rhythm with the engines.
We have to get out...
Then - miracle of miracles - the pursuer turned away. Light slid over the water to the side, and then the sound of the first depth charges was heard. With difficulty, with pain, the boat made its way through the narrow strait. It got dark again. From somewhere far away came the weakening explosions of depth charges.
Before us lay the sea, wide and free, vast under an endless sky.
Taking a deep breath, I turned to give the final order for this operation.
All posts. Attention! One destroyed, one shot down - and we passed!
This time I let them yell.
Günther Prien "Submarine Commander." ©
Sinking of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow
Opponents
Side force commanders
Side forces
Sinking of the High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow happened after the end of the First World War at the base of the British Navy on June 21, 1919. The High Seas Fleet was interned at Scapa Flow and, in order to prevent it from falling into the hands of the victors, was flooded by its own crews on the orders of Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuther. Subsequently, many of the sunken ships were raised and dismantled for metal.
Previous events
At 11 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the Compiègne truce entered into force between the Entente and Germany, which meant the actual end of the First World War. One of the clauses of the agreement read: Internment of all submarines and other modern ships of the German navy.
Representatives of the North American United States insisted on the internment of ships in a neutral port, with which Norway and Spain disagreed. The first sea lord, Admiral Roslin Erskine Wemyss, who represented Great Britain at the negotiations, proposed interning them at the British naval base Scapa Flow, where they would be guarded by the Royal Navy, until the fate of the ships of the German fleet was decided. This decision was submitted to the German government on November 12, 1918, with instructions to prepare the High Seas Fleet for sailing, by November 18.
Arrival of German delegates on HMS Queen Elizabeth 1918. Painting by John Lavery
On the night of November 15, 1918, on board the flagship Grand Fleet HMS Queen Elizabeth to discuss the details of the surrender of the German fleet with Admiral David Beatty, a representative of the commander of the High Seas Fleet, Admiral Franz Ritter von Hipper, Rear Admiral Hugo Meurer arrived. Beatty presented him with extended terms of surrender: the fleet's submarines would surrender to a Royal Navy squadron under Rear Admiral Reginald York Tyrwitt at Harwich. The surface ships are moving for disarmament and surrender to the Firth of Forth, from where they proceed under escort to Scapa Flow, where they will stay until the end of the peace negotiations. Meurer asked for a postponement of the deadlines for delivery, lamenting the loss of discipline and revolutionary sentiment among the crews, in the end, after midnight, the terms of delivery were signed to him.
Surrender and internment of the High Seas Fleet
Admiral von Hipper refused to take part in the surrender of the High Seas Fleet and delegated Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuther to carry out this task.
Capitulations of the German High Seas Fleet on November 21, 1918. Painting by Bernard Finnigan Gribble
On the morning of November 21, 1918, still in the dark, the British fleet put to sea from Rosyth in a single formation to participate in the operation with a hint called "Operation ZZ". At dawn, 2 battlecruiser squadrons, 5 battleship squadrons and 7 light cruiser squadrons formed two wake columns about 15 miles long each, marching at a distance of 6 miles from each other. 150 destroyers were ahead of them, the entire fleet heading east at a moderate speed of 12 knots. Around 10:00 a.m., a combat alarm sounded on the ships, and ships of the German High Seas Fleet appeared out of the fog. They walked in a single column: the first 5 battlecruisers - SMS Seydlitz , SMS Moltke , SMS Hindenburg , SMS Derfflinger and SMS Von der Tann, then SMS Friedrich der Grosse under the flag of Rear Admiral von Reuter. Behind him were 8 more dreadnoughts - SMS Grosser Kurfurst , SMS Prinzregent Luitpold , SMS Markgraf , SMS Bayern , SMS Kaiserin , SMS Kronprinz , SMS Kaiser and SMS Konig Albert. They were followed by 7 light cruisers and 49 destroyers. However, this was not the entire composition of the fleet, the destroyer V30 hit a mine and sank. Battleship SMS Konig and light cruiser SMS Dresden were at the docks due to problems with the engines and were due to leave for England in early December. German ships were ordered to put to sea without ammunition and with reduced crews, but a nation that preferred death to humiliation could try to deal the final blow to the victors. light cruiser HMS Cardiff (D58) led the German ships between two British columns. When the German flagship caught up with HMS Queen Elizabeth, Beatty's squadrons turned outward and lay down on a westerly course, escorting former enemies. To demonstrate power, the ships of the British dominions and allies were also present here - the 6th squadron of battleships consisted of 5 American dreadnoughts, a cruiser Amiral Aube and 2 destroyers represented France.
Doomed Fleet. Painting by Bernard Finnigan Gribble
All ships headed for Abeledi Bay, inside the Isle of May, where the German ships anchored. The Allied ships moved to their anchorages at the Firth of Forth. Admiral Beatty from the British flagship signaled: "The German flag must be lowered today at sunset and no longer raised without permission" and immediately another: "I intend to serve a prayer of thanksgiving today at 18:00 in honor of the victory that Almighty God has bestowed on our weapons." And already addressing his crew he said:
At 15:57 the German flag was lowered on the former ships of the former Imperial Navy. The next day, the German ships were inspected to make sure that there were no ammunition in the cellars, and the locks were removed from the guns. In the period from 22 to 26 November, German ships under escort were transferred in small groups to Scapa Flow. That same week, an Allied delegation arrived in Kiel. Their task was to send battleships SMS Konig and SMS Baden, light cruiser SMS Dresden and another destroyer instead of the one that sank to England, in order to bring the number of ships delivered to the amount stipulated by the agreement. The last of the ships arrived in Orkney on 9 December.
In captivity
Accommodation of the ships of the High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow
At the Royal Navy's main naval base at Scapa Flow harbor, the battleships and cruisers of the interned fleet were anchored north and west of Cava Island. Destroyers were stationed around the island of Ryusa. To prevent attempts by German ships to break through to neutral Norway, and also to prevent the crews from leaving the ships, the British had to keep a squadron of battleships, a flotilla of destroyers and many patrol trawlers in Scapa Flow. No one could predict how long the elaboration of the terms of the peace treaty would take. Up to this point, German warships could only be considered interned in Allied ports. Therefore, the British guards could board the German ships only in case of violation of the armistice, or only with the permission of von Reuter, who was nominally the commander of the German squadron.
On the ships of the German squadron at the time of arrival in Scapa Flow there were about 20,000 crew members, but by mid-December this number was significantly reduced. There were 200 people left on the battlecruisers, 175 on the battleships, 80 on the light cruisers and 10 on the destroyers. That is, in total, 4565 sailors, as well as 250 officers and foremen, were supposed to be on the German ships of von Reiter . The morale of the crews could be described as "complete demoralization". The foodstuffs delivered from Germany twice a month were monotonous and not of high quality. German crews were forbidden to go ashore or visit other ships. The only entertainment was fishing and catching seagulls, in addition, this helped to diversify the meager diet.
German sailors fishing from a destroyer in Scapa Flow
Among the German medical staff there were no dentists, and the British were provided with dental care. In addition, revolutionary sentiments came here, groups called the Red Guard began to form among the teams.
All this served as a pretext for reducing discipline, to the point that von Reuther had to transfer his flag to a light cruiser. SMS Emden. Therefore, the rear admiral, whose health turned out to be undermined, willingly went to reduce the crews and even raised the issue himself. Reuther wanted to get rid of unreliable subordinates as much as possible. He even managed to turn in his favor the act of disobedience that took place at the end of June 1919. Imperial naval flags were hoisted on the ships to mark the anniversary of the battle of Jutland. However, nothing could give rise to suspicions that this was done on the orders of von Reuter, since many ships raised their red flags at the same time. After this incident, the crews were reduced to the British standard for ships in reserve, that is: 75 people on a battlecruiser, 60 on a battleship, 30 on a light cruiser and the required minimum on destroyers, about 1700 people in total. The commander was afraid of the capture of his ships by the British and ordered his officers and sailors to prepare ships for flooding, and large crews were undesirable for covert preparatory work.
Fleet sinking
German Navy in Scapa Flow 1919.
At the end of March 1919, the Grand Fleet ceased to exist, responsibility for the interned German ships passed to the newly formed Atlantic Fleet. In mid-May, the 1st Battleship Squadron, consisting of 5 battleships of the Revenge class under the command of Rear Admiral Sydney Robert Fremantle, arrived in Scapa Flow in mid-May to carry out protection.
At the negotiations, the Allies achieved the surrender of the German ships, Rear Admiral Sidney Fremantle received a message that the peace treaty would be signed at Versailles on June 21. The junior flagship of the 1st Battleship Squadron, Rear Admiral Victor Stanley, had already prepared the relevant orders and even conducted boarding party exercises. Fremantle decided to capture the German ships at the end of the truce, crushing possible resistance. He decided that for this his squadron would be in port all day. Until the end of the armistice, he could not board the German ships. However, on June 20, Fremantle received word that the signing of the peace was postponed from June 21 to June 23, and the Council of Four in Paris approved the seizure of German ships as soon as the armistice expired on June 23 at 19:00. Fremantle immediately informed von Reuter that the armistice had been extended for another 48 hours. Since June 23 was now becoming a critical day, the British Rear Admiral took the 1st Battleship Squadron on June 21 for a joint torpedo exercise with a destroyer flotilla at Portland Firth.
Von Reuther issued an order on 17 June ordering the scuttling at 10:00 on 21 June, before the truce expired, for he feared the intervention of the English boarding parties. He saw no reason to cancel his plan, even after learning of the extension of the truce, and even received additional benefits due to the lack of Fremantle ships. When it became clear that a peace treaty, including the surrender of the ships, would soon be signed, the officers prepared the ships for sinking by opening the valves of the condensers and the covers of the underwater torpedo tubes. Watertight doors and hatches were jammed so that they could not be closed. Von Reuter himself later wrote:
At 10:30 am on June 21, 1919, von Reuter raised the signal: "Paragraph 11. Confirm." It was a prearranged signal to start flooding. German sailors opened the kingstones, smashed pipelines, valves and valves with sledgehammers. The ships once again raised the Imperial naval flags as they began to sway and sink. Some time passed before the British were able to figure out that the German ships were beginning to land bow or stern, or had an abnormal roll on board. Only the flagship cruiser remained motionless SMS Emden. Von Reuter feared that a British drifter, moored alongside to maintain contact with Fremantle, would have time to raise the alarm and retaliatory measures would be taken.
Just after 12:00, Fremantle received an urgent radio message from Scapa Flow demanding his immediate return with the entire fleet: “German ships are sinking. Some have already sunk." At this time, his 5 battleships were 8 miles from Orkney, waiting for 9 destroyers to receive their torpedoes and prepare for a new attack. By that time, most of the German ships were already deep in the water or had a roll on the verge of capsizing. Destroyers in the harbor HMS Vega (L41) and HMS Vesper (D55) and a few trawlers could do nothing. Their crews opened fire, trying to force the German sailors, who were transferring to boats, to stay on board their ships and stop the flooding. As a result, 9 people died including the commander SMS Markgraf Corvette Captain Walter Schumann, 16 more were wounded.
At 2:00 pm, the Fremantle force returned to Scapa Flow and anchored near the sinking ships. Armed parties were immediately sent to close the kingstones, watertight doors and hatches and try to run the ships aground. battleship commander HMS Revenge Suobi wrote:
The only saved battleship was SMS Baden. light cruisers were rescued SMS Emden, SMS Frankfurt , SMS Nurnberg and half of the destroyers. All other ships sank by 16:00.
List of ships of the High Seas Fleet that were in Scapa Flow
| Name | Type | Further fate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMS Bayern | Battleship | Sunk at 14:30 | Raised 1 September 1934. Broken up for scrap in 1935. |
| SMS Friedrich der Grosse | Battleship | Sunk at 12:16 | Raised 29 April 1937. Broken up for scrap in 1937. |
| SMS Grosser Kurfürst | Battleship | Sunk at 13:30 | Raised 29 April 1938. Broken up for scrap in 1938. |
| SMS Kaiser | Battleship | Scuttled at 13:15 | Raised March 20, 1929. Broken up for scrap in 1930. |
| SMS Kaiserin | Battleship | Sunk at 14:00 | |
| SMS Konig Albert | Battleship | Sunk at 12:54 | Raised 11 May 1936. Broken up for scrap in 1936. |
| SMS Konig | Battleship | Sunk at 14:00 | did not rise |
| SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm | Battleship | Scuttled at 13:15 | did not rise |
| SMS Markgraf | Battleship | Sunk at 16:45 | did not rise |
| SMS Prinzregent Luitpold | Battleship | Scuttled at 13:15 | Raised 9 July 1931. Broken up for scrap in 1933. |
| SMS Baden | Battleship | Stranded | Since 1921, it has been used by the British Navy as a target |
| SMS Derfflinger | Battle cruiser | Sunk at 14:45 | Raised 12 November 1939. Broken up for scrap in 1948. |
| SMS Hindenburg | Battle cruiser | Sunk at 17:00 | Raised 22 July 1939 after several unsuccessful attempts. Broken up for scrap in 1930. |
| SMS Moltke | Battle cruiser | Sunk at 13:10 | Raised 10 July 1926. Broken up for scrap in 1929. |
| SMS Seydlitz | Battle cruiser | Scuttled at 13:50 | Raised 2 November 1928. Broken up for scrap in 1930. |
| SMS Von der Tann | Battle cruiser | Sunk at 14:15 | Raised 7 December 1930. Broken up for scrap in 1934. |
| SMS Coln | light cruiser | Scuttled at 13:50 | did not rise |
| SMS Karlsruhe | light cruiser | Sunk at 15:50 | did not rise |
| SMS Dresden | light cruiser | Scuttled at 13:50 | did not rise |
| SMS Brummer | light cruiser | Sunk at 13:05 | did not rise |
| SMS Bremse | light cruiser | Sunk at 14:30 | Raised November 27, 1929. Broken up for scrap in 1930. |
| SMS Nurnberg | light cruiser | Stranded | Used by the British Navy as an artillery target. Scuttled 7 July 1922 off the Isle of Wight |
| SMS Frankfurt | light cruiser | Stranded | Transferred to the US Navy. Used as a target for bombers. Scuttled 18 July 1921 off Cape Henry |
| SMS Emden | light cruiser | Stranded | Transferred to the French Navy. Used as a target for testing explosives. Scrapped at Caen in 1926 |
Destroyers scuttled in Skala Flow:
S 32, S 36, S 49, S 50, S 52, S 53, S 54, S 55, S 56, S 65, S 131, S 136, S 138, G 38, G 39, G 40, G 101 , G 103, G 104, B 109, B 110, B 111, B 112, V 45, V 70, V 78, V 83, V 86, V 89, V 91, H 145
- All sunken destroyers were raised and scrapped between 1922 and 1926.
Destroyers stranded or afloat:
V 44, V 73, V 82, G 92, V 125, V 128, S 51, S 137 - transferred to the Royal Navy. V 43, G 102, S 132 - transferred to the US Navy V 46, V 100, V 126 - transferred to the French Navy S 60, V 80, V 127 - transferred to the Japanese Navy
Evaluation of the event by contemporaries
The British and French were angry that the German fleet had sunk. “Treasonous violation of the truce,” said Fremantle, ordering that von Reuter and his crews be considered prisoners of war. An enraged Madden telegraphed to Paris a proposal to limit the German fleet in the future to 2 light cruisers, 6 destroyers and 6 destroyers. However, the English admiral Wemyss remarked:German Admiral Scheer stated:
The further fate of the ships of the fleet
Tower of a sunken German battleship at Scapa Flow
Of the 74 German ships in Scapa Flow, 15 battleships, 5 cruisers and 32 destroyers were sunk. The rest either remained afloat or were brought out by the British in shallow water. Later, these ships were divided between the allied fleets. Of the sunken ships, 1 light cruiser and 5 destroyers were raised and dismantled in Scapa, the rest remained at the bottom, after the end of the First World War, the countries were oversaturated with scrap metal and therefore the raising and disposal of the High Seas Fleet was considered inappropriate. In 1923, after receipt from the inhabitants of the Orkney Islands that the remains of ships are dangerous for shipping, Cox & Danks Shipbreaking Co. in the period from 1924 to 1938 she raised 5 battleships, 2 cruisers and 26 destroyers. The last battlecruiser was raised by the spring of 1939. SMS Derfflinger, but due to the outbreak of World War II, his inverted body remained in Scapa Flow for another 7 years. It wasn't until 1946 that she was towed to the Clyde and scrapped for metal at Rosenite.
In 1962, the governments of Germany and Great Britain finally settled the rights to the remains of seven German ships scuttled - Germany officially sold them 42 years after the sinking. By an act of the British Parliament in 1979, the harbor of Scapa Flow is an archaeological heritage site. The harbor is now popular with snorkellers. Scuba divers are allowed access to the remains of the German fleet, but swimmers are not allowed to enter the ships or take with them anything found on the ships and within a radius of 100 m from them. There is an exposition for visitors on the island of Hoy in the building of the former naval oil depot.
Notes Battleship SMS Markgraf in Scapa Flow
--Ir0n246:ru (talk) 15:00, February 25, 2016 (UTC)
| Chronology of the development of the Scapa Flow base | |
|---|---|
| the date | Event |
| 1812 | Scapa Flow harbor recommended to the Admiralty for use as a rendezvous point for warships |
| 1816 | Completed the construction of the first defensive fortifications |
| 1860 | A unit of the Royal Orkney Garrison Artillery has been formed. The first volunteers were trained. |
| 1898 | The British Canal Fleet used Scapa Flow harbor for the first time as a base during a summer exercise |
| 1905 | First Sea Lord Jackie Fisher recommended using Scapa Flow as a naval base |
| 1908 | HMS Triton conducted active reconnaissance of the harbor on the instructions of the Admiralty |
| 1910 | The Grand Fleet uses Scapa Flow as a temporary base. Modern Coast Guard artillery pieces have been installed. |
| 1913 | The military office transferred control of the Scapa Flow base to the Admiralty. Scapa Flow has officially acquired the status of the main naval base. |
| 1914 | |
| June | The first parts of the Grand Fleet are redeployed to Scapa Flow |
| August | The beginning of the First World War. Gun mounts from the ships are installed on the shore. |
| September | The threat of an attack by German submarines forced the based fleet to go to the open sea until the defense of the base was improved. |
| November | Work has begun on the installation of artillery batteries to protect the main entrances to the harbor |
| 1915 | |
| February | Anti-submarine nets have been installed in the waters of the harbor following the anti-ship barriers. |
| April | From the side of the eastern entrance to the harbor, 19 ships were flooded to block the passage. |
| July | Minefields have been laid around Hawks Sound and Hoy Sound. HMS King George V visited Scapa Flow. |
| 1916 | |
| May 30 | The Grand Fleet departed Scapa Flow to intercept the German fleet. |
| May 31 | Battle of Jutland |
| June 5 | HMS Hampshire hit a mine and sank near Marwick Head. Field Marshal Lord Kitchener was killed during the incident. |
| 1917 | |
| July 9 | Battleship HMS Vanguard detonated while parked in Scapa Flow |
| December | US Navy 6th Battle Squadron to join Royal Navy at Scapa Flow |
| 1918 | |
| 28 of October | German submarine sunk in Hawke's Sound UB-116 |
| 11th of November | End of World War I |
| November 23 | The German High Seas Fleet was interned at Scapa Flow. High Seas Fleet) |
| 1919 | |
| June 23 | Sinking of the High Seas Fleet - 52 ships sunk by their own crews |
| 1920 | |
| February | Scapa Flow loses naval base status |
| 1924-1939 | The period of recovery of sunken German ships by private contractors |
| 1938 | Scapa Flow receives A-level protection category. Munich crisis speeds up work on construction of Coast Guard batteries |
| 1939 | |
| September 3 | Beginning of World War II. Orkney Territorial Army relocates to Scapa Flow and occupies defenses |
| September 29 | Official approval of the formation of the Orkney and Shetland defense forces (from the English. OSDef) |
| October 13 | The sinking of a German submarine U-47 old battleship HMS Royal Oak |
| 17 October | First Luftwaffe attack on Scapa Flow. Damaged HMS Iron Duke |
| 1940 | |
| February | Restoration of airfields of the Royal Air Force |
| March | Strengthening of the defenses on Scapa Flow to: 8 coastal installations, 50 air defense guns, 10,000 armed soldiers. Home Fleet Returns to Scapa Flow After Strengthening Anti-Submarine Defense |
| 11th of March | Churchill reports to the War Cabinet that Scapa Flow is 80% secure. |
| March 16 | Second Luftwaffe attack on Scapa Flow. First civilian ship sunk Orcadian |
| April 2 | First successful use of the Orkney barrier |
| April 8 | The third largest attack of the Luftwaffe on Scapa Flow. German invasion of Denmark and Norway |
| April 10th | Fourth Luftwaffe attack on Scapa Flow |
| May | Start of construction of the Churchill barriers |
| June | Completion of construction of coastal and air defense guns around the base |
| 1941 | |
| March | The level of defense of the Scapa Flow base reaches its historical peak and effectiveness |
| March 7 | Submarine sinking U-47 during the attack on the convoy |
| May 21st | Parts of the Home Fleet (including HMS Hood) are departing from Scapa Flow to intercept the German battleship Bismark |
| June, 22 | German attack on the Soviet Union |
| August | Start of Arctic convoys |
| October 10 | Arrival at Scapa Flow of the first assigned Arctic convoy |
| December 7 | US entry into World War II |
| 1942 | |
| July 1-13 | Attack on the convoy PQ-17 |
| November | Churchill Barriers successfully installed on the east side of Scapa Flow |
| 1943 | |
| May | The turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic - the German fleet during the month loses 41 submarines of the type U |
| June | First downgrade of Scapa Flow base defense level - removed a large number of searchlights |
| December 26 | sinking SMS Sharnhorst at the battle of the cape North Cape |
| 1944 | |
| 1st of January | Return to the harbor of Scapa Flow HMS Duke of York after the battle at the cape North Cape |
| February | The dismantling of heavy air defense guns and the redeployment of the military garrison during preparations for the landing in Normandy |
| 1945 | |
| March | Scapa Flow base status downgraded after the Admiral's headquarters was closed |
| May 8 | End of the war in Europe |
| 12 May | The Churchill Barriers are officially open to traffic |
| June July | Serious downgrade in base defense level |
| August 15 | End of World War II with the surrender of Japan |
Scapa Flow base during the 1st World War
In August 1914, in Scapa Bay, in the northern part of Scapa Flow near the city of Kirkwall, the main naval base of the British fleet was approved. At the same time, the main headquarters of the fleet was located in the city of Scapa Pie ( Scapa Pier). Three months later, the base was relocated to a small village on Hoy Island, while the anchorage was moved to the waters off Flotta Island, in the southern part of the Scapa Flow harbor.
The main threat to the base on Scapa Flow was not so much the invasion of land or sea surface forces as the penetration of enemy submarines into the base. For example, on August 9 by cruiser HMS Birmingham a German submarine was spotted on the surface of the water between the islands of Orkney and Fair U-15. The captain of the ship made a quick decision to ram the submarine, as a result of which the German submarine went to the bottom with the entire crew. As a result of the poor defenses against enemy U-boat penetration, Admiral Jellicoe had to keep the fleet on the high seas until the anti-submarine defense of the fleet's anchorage at Scapa Flow could be reinforced.
Enemy submarines often came into the field of view of sentinel stations in the first months of the war, but the first attempt to penetrate the base was made on November 23, 1914 by the crew of the submarine. U-18 under the command of Lieutenant Commander von Hennig (von Hennig) through the passage of Hawks Sound. But noticing the anti-submarine buoys placed between Roan Head and Hunda, the submarine commander decided to climb to periscope depth, where he was rammed by a tugboat. Then he went to the Pentland Skerris cluster of islands and sank his submarine there. After that, almost until the end of the war, no one else tried to enter the harbor of Scapa Flow.
The last incident occurred on October 28, 1918 with the participation of a submarine U-116 under the command of Lieutenant Emsmann. The commander of the submarine hoped to penetrate the harbor by hiding under the bottom of the British battleship. However, at 8 p.m., the hydrophonic station on Stranger Head detected the approach of an enemy submarine. At that time, the anti-submarine defense of the harbor was very good. At 11:30 at the entrance to Pan Hope, south Roan Head, a submarine periscope was seen on the surface of the water. This meant that the submarine was just above the controlled minefield. A few minutes later, the galvanometer recorded the passage of the submarine over the sensor at the beginning of the minefield. As a result of the detonation, the submarine went to the bottom along with the entire crew. It was the only submarine to be blown up by a controlled minefield, and the last one during the First World War.
The first step was to block the passages in the eastern part of Scapa Flow, which ran between the main island of Orkney and the smaller islands of Lamb Holm, Glims Holm, Burray and South Ronaldsday. To block four passages, a total of 15 old merchant ships were sunk - four in the passage of Kirk Sound between the main island of the archipelago and the island of Lamb Holm, near the settlement of Holm, five others - in Skerry Sound between the islands of Lamb Holm and Glims Holm, and the last three - in Water Sound between the two largest islands in the chain - Burray and South Ronaldsday. An additional five ships were sunk in Burra Sound between the northeast corner of Hoy Island and Graemsay Island. Behind the line of sunken ships, a number of anti-submarine steel barriers were additionally placed. As a result of the measures taken to block the passages to the base in Scapa Flow, their number decreased from eight to three - Hoy Sound, Hawks Sound and a small Sweet Sound.
Two types of buoys were used as additional barriers in these three channels. The first type is anti-ship buoys, to prevent attacks by enemy destroyers. This type of barrier was a chain of wooden boxes. This chain was very flexible, but at the same time quite strong. To work with these buoys, special ships were hired, which opened a passage through this barrier for friendly ships. One of these barriers passed through the passage of Hawks Sound, between Hawks Head and Stranger Head, and was installed in December 1914. The second was located in the depths of the passage of Hoy Sound, the third barrier protected the passage of Sweet Sound. The last two barriers were installed in February 1915. The theory of using this type of buoys suggested that an enemy destroyer at high speed encountering such an obstacle would be badly damaged, and thus enable nearby coastal batteries to inflict additional critical damage. Even if the chain is broken, it will slow down the enemy destroyer enough to neutralize it with coastal batteries. The fourth circuit was installed on the approach to Kirkwall Bay.
140mm coastal gun at Scapa Flow. 1914
Anti-submarine nets protected each of the three main entrances to Scapa Flow. By the summer of 1915, the first nets installed had been replaced with specially designed steel barriers. Additionally, posts with searchlights were located along the coast, and each coastal artillery battery was equipped with hydrophonic stations.
All three main passages were also mined by controlled minefields. By the middle of 1915, a kind of early warning system for the approach of enemy submarines was installed in the passages, which consisted of magnetized cables laid along the bottom of the passage. The idea was that a submerged submarine, passing near these cables, would provoke a powerful magnetic discharge, which would be noticed by the operator of the nearest coast station. Such systems have been installed at the entrances of Hawks Sound and Sweet Sound, as well as on the west side of Hoy Sound.
All passages in Scapa Flow were equipped with coastal artillery batteries. The passage of Hoy Sound was defended by two groups of such batteries. In September 1914, guns of the type 12-pdr QF .
With the outbreak of war, the Admiralty ordered several guns from an American company Bethlehelm Steel(state of Pennsylvania). By the spring of 1915, the first batch of ordered guns arrived at Scapa Flow, which were installed in three predetermined positions in place of previously installed guns of the type 12-pdr QF. Additionally, 152-mm and 228-mm guns from an armored cruiser were also used as guns at coastal artillery posts. HMS Crescent. By the spring of 1915, some guns 12-pdr QF were replaced by twin mounts of 101 mm QF guns. Later that year, a few hundred meters west of the 101 mm gun positions, American 152 mm guns were installed to control the movement of ships in the passage of Hawks Sound.
In early 1915, three small 3-pdr QF guns, which were soon replaced by more effective ones 12-pdr QF.
The smallest of the passages in Scapa Flow, Sweet Sound and having a depth of only 20 meters, was used infrequently. This passage provided the movement of small ships to the fleet control headquarters in Longhope. The protection of Sweet Sound was provided by two guns of the type 3-pdr QF that were taken from the warship. However, at the end of 1915 they were replaced by two 120 mm guns. QF .
Steel anti-submarine barriers in Scapa Flow from the First World War
Considerable attention was also paid to air defense. In 1914, the development of aviation was in its infancy. Scapa Flow was the site of some of the first tests in naval aviation, and during the First World War served as a base for the development of air defense systems. The first experience in this direction was obtained in September 1914, when two aircraft were unloaded near Scapa Pierre - part of the newly formed Royal Air and Naval Service ( RNAS). Three more aircraft were stationed at the airfield near Scapa Bay. At the same time, the first Orkney air traffic control service was established.
The first steps towards providing aerial reconnaissance were taken in 1916 through the use of airships. The launch of the airships took place at the base in Houghton, next to the naval aviation base. In most cases, airships were tied to merchant ships or barges and used to detect submarines or mines.
Airships were another form of airships that detected enemy submarines. In July 1916, an airship station was put into operation at Caldale, near Kirkwall. Two hangars were built to store such vessels. Such aircraft had a length of 44 m, an engine power of 75 hp, which allowed a speed of 80 km / h. However, over time it became clear that their effective use is not possible. The reason for this was the weather conditions, often accompanied by strong winds, during which the management of such a vessel was very difficult and difficult. For example, in November 1917, one of these ships ( SSP-2) during a storm, the engine failed, and he was swept out to sea. A week later, along with a crew of three, another airship was lost - SSP-4, which crashed near the town of Westray. Frequent fatal incidents, constant breakdowns as a result of landing in strong winds - all this forced the Admiralty to decide on the redeployment of the surviving airships to the south of England, where the weather was less severe. As of January 1918, the station at Caldale was performing only aircraft repairs.
Battleship HMS Vanguard
At the same time, the use of naval aviation showed excellent success. An additional air station was soon established at the southeast end of Stennes Loch. Unfortunately, the low water level in the sea bay did not allow the effective fulfillment of the assigned tasks, and after 1918 the station began to be used very rarely. The construction of the second additional station at Orfira was never completed by the end of the war. Over time, Scapa Flow acquired the status of a naval aviation repair base.
On May 30, 1916, 72 ships of the Grand Fleet under the command of Admiral Jelico left the harbor of Scapa Flow to intercept the German High Seas Fleet. The two fleets clashed in battle on the afternoon of 31 May off the Danish coast.
On June 5, near Scapa Flow, a cruiser sank on a mine. HMS Hampshire. On board the cruiser at that time was Field Marshal Kitchener, the Minister of War, who was sent to Russia to meet with the High Command. Together with the field marshal, almost the entire crew of the cruiser in the amount of 655 people died, with the exception of 12 survivors. The Germans later attributed the death of the cruiser HMS Hampshire at his own expense, because a week before the incident, the German submarine U-75 laid 34 mines in the region.
On July 9, 1917, another tragedy struck in the waters of Scapa Flow. Battleship detonated while anchoring near Flott HMS Vanguard. Of the 846 crew members, only 3 survived.
Interwar period
Ludwig von Reuther
The announcement of the armistice on November 11, 1918 brought great relief to all employees of the Scapa Flow base. In the same period, the German High Seas Fleet arrived in the harbor of Scapa Flow for internment. The entire fleet was disarmed and surrounded. Almost the entire fleet, except for 1,700 men under Admiral Reuter, was returned to Germany. While the entire British fleet was disbanded to their home ports, the German ships in Scapa Flow awaited their fate, which was decided at the negotiations at Versailles. According to the agreement, the entire German fleet was planned to be divided among the members of the Alliance, while the composition of the German Navy would be reduced to 16,500 people and would consist of only a few valuable battleships. Reuther decided to spare his enemies the last valuable prize.
June 21 was the day the Treaty of Versailles was signed, however it was actually signed two days later. Reuther decided to protest the terms of the treaty in a very elegant way. On Saturday morning, an early agreed signal followed from Emden, which marked the beginning of the process of flooding German ships with their crews. By evening, all 52 German ships were sunk, including 14 battleships. This decision of Reuther caught the British command by surprise. The British attempted to save at least something, during which nine German sailors were killed. However, their efforts were in vain.
In February of the following year, the Admiral's Headquarters in Scapa Flow was closed and the base passed into reserve status. Later that year, the base was reclassified as a secondary naval anchorage base.
During 1919, Coast Guard guns and various kinds of barriers were dismantled. For some reason, the Admiralty was in no hurry to remove the barriers of sunken merchantmen and other ships from the eastern entrance to Scapa Flow, which would have served to resume the movement of fishing and merchant ships. The debate on this issue continued for a very long time, and by 1939 the wrecks of the sunken ships were still in place. Minefield clearance work was started in 1919 jointly with the Americans and continued throughout the year. During this period, the base of the US Navy Demining Force was in Kirkwall. The Americans, while based in Scapa Flow, managed to neutralize more than 70,000 mines laid between the archipelago and southern Norway.
The issue of the High Seas Fleet was still open. The seabed around the islands of Kava, Risa and Fara was littered with sunken German ships, some of which were visible above the surface of the water. The first attempts to raise the remains of ships were made in 1919, when they managed to raise the battleship SMS Baden and a few smaller ones. In the early 1920s, two private contractors began work on lifting one of the destroyers. In 1924, the Admiralty sold the rights to raise 26 destroyers and 2 battleships to a private company specializing in salvaging wrecks. Cox & Danks. In 1926, the company managed to complete the recovery of destroyers sunk in the Gutter Sound between the islands of Rice, Fara, Little and Hoy.
The following year, work began on lifting large ships - cruisers SMS Moltke, battleship SMS Hindenburg, the rise of which was completed only in 1930, the battleship SMS Prinzregent Luitpold- in 1931. The rights were later sold to the company Metal Industries Ltd., which continued to work on the recovery of sunken ships until 1939. The last ship raised is a cruiser SMS Derfflinger .
Blockship SS Reginald in Scapa Flow
In the 1920s, the Scapa Flow base was completely defenseless. During this period, it was used as the assembly base for the British fleet for summer exercises. The Territorial Army, which consisted of Orkney volunteer gunners, was disbanded as early as 1915, and the Royal Marines took their place. The Territorial Army was re-established only in 1937 in the light of the threat of a new war, the first unit of which was the 226th Heavy Air Defense Battery.
With the threat of another war rising, the Admiralty remembered the potential of Scapa Flow. In April 1937, work began on the construction of fuel tanks in Lyness, capable of holding up to 100,000 tons of oil. By the beginning of 1938, the first of them was put into operation. In the same summer, anti-submarine buoys were restored, in the same place as in the First World War. Full protection was restored after October 1937, when the base received category A port security. Unfortunately, in fact, the base was more likely to be protected only by the wind and its good location than by guns and minefields.
Admiral Forbes, commander of the Home Fleet at the time, had some remarks about the usefulness of the weakly defended Scapa Flow and supported the Admiralty in strengthening the base's defenses. As far as air defense was concerned, the fleet could stand up for itself, which could not be said about the base itself, especially considering the fact that Luftwaffe aircraft were capable of dropping up to 450 tons of bombs per day with an underdeveloped Royal Air Force. At that time, the base had two fighter squadrons and 24 heavy air defense guns. It was clear to the Admiralty that the current air defense defenses were clearly not enough.
By August 1939, 44 ships of the Home Fleet were located in the bay, including 6 battleships and cruisers, 1 aircraft carrier and the old flagship of Admiral Dzhaliko - HMS Iron Duke which was used as headquarters.
In the last days of peacetime, the defenses of Scapa Flow were in somewhat better condition than before the First World War in 1914. But at the same time, the level of technological development was somewhat higher, which in turn created a slightly greater threat from Germany than before. First of all, this concerned a new generation of submarines of the type U. Also for the first time, Germany had the possibility of a massive air attack.
With the first months of the war, it became obvious that the defense of the Scapa Flow base was in a very deplorable state. The task of the Admiralty was to eliminate this problem as quickly as possible before Germany realized how vulnerable Scapa Flow was at the moment.
The Second World War
Defense Fundamentals: Plan Q and Plan R
Scapa Flow base during the 2nd World War
On September 3, 1939, with the declaration of war on Germany by Great Britain, Scapa Flow once again becomes the main naval base. At the same time, the Military Headquarters approves "Plan Q" to protect Scapa Flow in wartime. It was a comprehensive plan to protect the base from all directions - both from the sea, including submarines, from the air - from attacks by the Luftwaffe, and from the land landing. It was planned to increase the air defense to 80 heavy anti-aircraft defense installations and 40 light ones. The number of searchlights increased to 108 units, air barriers in the form of balloons, which were supposed to prevent the attack of low-flying aircraft - up to 40 units.
However, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, did not approve of the proposed plan, as he believed that resources should not be thrown into passive defense, due to which three entire air defense regiments were effectively tied to the Scapa Flow base for the entire duration of the war. However, he immediately agreed to the installation of 16 additional heavy 94 mm air defense guns. By the end of the year, 20 more such guns were installed in the northern part of the base.
In mid-September, Churchill personally went to Scapa Flow to inspect the state of security of the base, and also visited the floating headquarters of the base - HMS Iron Duke with Admiral Wilfred French on board. At the same time, ground forces under the command of Brigadier-General Geoffrey Camp took up defensive positions at Scapa Flow. His arrival at Scapa Flow coincided with the first reconnaissance flights of the German Air Force over the base. In this regard, work began on the creation of a defensive plan, which, with the outbreak of war, was called "Plan Q". The first task of the plan was to designate the most important positions for coastal batteries and searchlights, and to coordinate the air defense of the base with Admiral French. The result of the development of the plan was an Operational Instruction issued on October 10, according to which it was allowed to open fire on any air targets flying below 1200 m within a radius of 10 km from the flagship of the Home Fleet. With the adoption of this instruction, work began on strengthening defensive positions, building communications, and increasing the number of ground troops.
Observation post for coastal artillery battery
In parallel, the Admiralty tried to strengthen the defense of Scapa Flow for its part. In 1938 additional ships were sunk to block the eastern channels in Scapa Flow. The largest of the channels was Kirk Sound, located between the main island of Orkney in Holm and the small island of Lamb Holm. Channels blocked during the First World War were still vulnerable. After Admiral Forbes inspected the current state of the barriers in June 1939 with the help of sunken ships, it was decided to purchase additional blockships (from the English. blockship). During September and early October 1939, the required number of blockships was acquired and sunk. The last channel to block was the Kirk Sound passage. For this purpose, a ship was chosen SS Lake Neuchatel with a displacement of 4000 tons.
On the night of October 14, a German submarine U-47 Under the command of Günther Prien, she passed through the Kirk Sound channel, breaking through the protective line of Scapa Flow. Finding the base's main shipyard empty, Prien proceeded north to find an old battleship at anchor. HMS Royal Oak. A total of seven torpedoes were launched from the submarine at the battleship, three of which reached their target. HMS Royal Oak sank in just 13 minutes, taking the lives of 833 crew members with her. U-47 left the harbor of Scapa Flow unhindered by the same route. old steamer SS Lake Neuchatel was scuttled a week later after the tragic incident with the battleship HMS Royal Oak. The tragedy at Scapa Flow caused great excitement in British society. The Admiralty came under fire for Scapa Flow's poor security, but Churchill managed to calm the impending political storm.
The commander of the Home Fleet, Admiral Michael Forbes, declared Scapa Flow an unsafe place and ordered the subordinate fleet to be dispersed to other naval bases - in the Firth of Forth, Cromatrie Firth (northern coast of Scotland), and Fort of Clyde together with Loch Eve (west coast). At the same time, an emergency meeting of the War Cabinet was convened, where the War Office and the Admiralty were urged to reconsider their plans. As for the fleet, Admiral Forbes remained true to his position that Scapa Flow remains the most suitable place to base the Home Fleet there. The only thing left to fix was the security level of the base.
Maneuvering U-47 in Scapa Flow
The result of the meeting was the creation of the Committee for the Protection of the Naval Base at Scapa Flow, which was established in Whitehall. An additional £500,000 has been allocated to strengthen the defense of the base, with the possibility of additional funding if necessary. The list of all the decisions made at the meeting was in fact "Plan R" - the actual implementation of the "Plan Q" plan, but with a more intensive coastal defense network, additional anti-submarine barriers, detection stations, airfields, minefields and increased ground forces to prevent invasion. As a result of the measures taken, the base in Scapa Flow became in fact a fortress - the most protected harbor in Europe.
By December 1939, the implementation of all planned improvements to the defense of the base was in full swing - additional anti-submarine barriers were ordered, new guns were installed, new searchlights were purchased, ground garrisons were reinforced, and so on. To accommodate new airfields, additional aerial reconnaissance of the entire archipelago was carried out. All of this activity took place in the middle of winter during unrelenting storms, strong winds and sleet. The reason for this activity was the deadline set by Churchill, according to which the Home Fleet was to return to Scapa Flow on March 1, 1940. There were no other options, since the fragmentation of the Home Fleet outside Scapa Flow in different ports created a threat of the impossibility of an adequate response to the actions of the German fleet. Moreover, intelligence reported on a possible enemy attack already this spring.
By February, the first stage of installation of coastal guns was completed. Most of the surface and anti-submarine barriers have already been installed in their places. The main problem remained the air defense of the archipelago, since the only active air defense guns were at the disposal of the 226th air defense battery in the city of Lyness. In this regard, an additional 20 units were installed at previously designated positions. By the end of the month, 11 more heavy and 13 light air defense guns were installed, which were accompanied by the installation of 28 searchlights.
Building the Churchill Barriers at Scapa Flow
However, despite the efforts made, it was not possible to meet the deadlines for Churchill's deadline. The planned work was completed only a week later, which ended with the installation of the last heavy air defense guns. Thus, the total number of functioning heavy air defense guns has increased to 52 units.
On March 8, 1940, Churchill planned to enter Scapa Flow aboard a battleship. HMS Rodney. However, the threat of a mine explosion forced the leadership of the fleet to leave the battleship on the high seas. Therefore, Churchill had to transfer to one of the destroyers. That evening he dined on board HMS Hood in the harbor of Scapa Flow, thereby signaling that the base was completely safe and the British fleet was ready for action.
On his return to Whitehall, Churchill reported to the War Cabinet that the base at Scapa Flow was 80% secure and the risk of attack by an enemy fleet was very low. During the visit to Scapa Flow, he also approved a plan to build permanent anti-submarine barriers (which currently bear his name - the Churchill barriers) across the eastern channels leading to Scapa Flow.
On the evening of March 16, 1940, Luftwaffe pilots carried out the first major air raid on Scapa Flow. On April 9, the German command launched an operation to invade Norway and Denmark. The fleet of the mother country was in full combat readiness and was ready to intervene. Subsequently, the Kriegsmarine fleet suffered serious losses, and yet the German army was able to maintain control of both countries despite the intervention of Allied forces. The campaign to invade Norway and Denmark ended in June 1940, enabling the Kriegsmarine to use the Norwegian fjords as naval bases and the Luftwaffe to use the Norwegian airfields as bases for an air raid on Scapa Flow. However, such air raid capabilities never came to fruition, while air reconnaissance and minefield operations continued throughout the war.
Barrage buoys from World War II
By mid-April 1940, 88 heavy air defense guns were already on full alert on Scapa Flow, more than Plan Q envisaged. Major General Camp had over 12,000 ground troops under his command. On the territory of the entire archipelago, 88 searchlights and 14 coastal artillery batteries functioned.
The air defense of Scapa Flow also included a network of radar installations, which made it possible to respond in time to the approach of any enemy aircraft. By the summer of 1940, it became clear that the degree of security of the base in Scapa Flow had reached its climax, which the German command was aware of. It is for this reason that for the remainder of the Second World War, there was no longer a single air raid on Scapa Flow, even despite the proximity of Norwegian airfields.
Home Fleet
The final element of Scapa Flow's defense was the Royal Navy itself. Naturally, the ships of the Home Fleet could not become part of the static defense of the harbor, but while they were at the base, they were ready to become an obstacle to enemy penetration into the base. Often the ships of the fleet anchored in the harbor were used as temporary air defense batteries. Sunk by a German submarine was also used in the same role. U-47 battleship HMS Royal Oak, which provided airspace protection near Kirkwall. The ships of the fleet regularly performed the role of patrols near the entrances to the harbor of Scapa Flow. At that time, there was a special unit called the Northern Patrol, which ensured the blockade of sea waters between Britain and Iceland.
The naval base at Lyness began a dramatic expansion in 1940. After the battleship was damaged in September 1939 HMS Iron Duke, which was used as headquarters, the latter was moved to Lyness. The ground headquarters soon grew into a major command and communications center, especially after the completion of the new communications building on Wee Fea Hill. By 1943, the communications center was receiving over 8,000 calls a day, providing communications between the Assistant Chief of Staff, Navy ships, buildings on land, and the Admiralty.
The naval base in Lyness played the role of the General Staff, a repair base and a refueling station, barriers were made here in the form of surface buoys, and it was also a place of rest and accommodation for thousands of military personnel. By the summer of 1940, the anchorage was completely filled, including a parking lot for large ships just north of Flotta Island. On the other side of the island there was a parking lot for destroyers and other small ships.
It was from Scapa Flow that the Home Fleet departed to fight the German fleet in Norwegian waters, to escort the vital North Atlantic convoys. Therefore, securing the harbor of Scapa Flow was a very important task.
fighting
With the outbreak of World War II, Scapa Flow's base was as vulnerable as it had been at the start of World War I, although it's fair to say that this time the two main harbor entrances were protected by anti-submarine buoys. In September of the same year, Luftwaffe aviation began reconnaissance flights over the base. Analysis of the security of the base showed that the passage of Kirk Sound was not completely blocked. There was a possibility that the brave commander of some enemy submarine, if desired, could penetrate the base this way. And that person was the captain of the submarine U-47 Gunter Prien.
After the tragic death of the battleship HMS Royal Oak and his crew members, it became crystal clear to the War Office and Admiralty leadership that Scapa Flow's defenses were in poor condition. Four days after the tragedy, the base command managed to close a gap in the defense just in time for the start of the first air raid.
Battleship HMS Royal Oak
At dawn on October 17, 1939, four German dive bombers Ju 88 attacked at anchorage near Lynessa battleship HMS Iron Duke, which at that time was used as a command center. The battleship was seriously damaged and was towed to the nearest shoal to avoid flooding, where she practically stayed until the end of the war.
On the same day in the afternoon, the bombers returned, but they did not find targets for the attack, instead, fuel tanks near the city of Lyness fell under attack, but the attackers could not achieve accurate hits. After the raid, the command made a decision to temporarily disperse the fleet to several safer ports. After that, within a few months, the security of the base was strengthened and in March 1940, the Home Fleet returned to the harbor of Scapa Flow.
At sunset on March 16, about 15 German bombers attacked the ships at the parking lot in Scapa Flow and the new airfield at Hatston, near Kickwall. Cruiser HMS Norfolk received damage from a nearby bomb that also killed nine crew members. This was the first raid which resulted in the death of the civilian population - a number of bombs were dropped near Brig of Waithe near the town of Stromness. This raid revealed the problem of coordinating air defense fire, as well as the lack of early warning systems for the approach of the enemy in the form of radar installations. To eliminate this problem, the Scapa Barrier system was implemented (from the English. Scapa Barrage) - a protective wall of air balloons, which was supposed to protect the harbor from air attacks.
Submarine captain U-47 Günther Prien
On April 8, Luftwaffe aviation returned in the form of 24 bombers (a formation from Ju 88 and Heinkel He III) whose purpose was to neutralize the protective structures in the Hawks Sound channel. The goals were not achieved, but the Germans lost seven aircraft. This time with the help of an air defense cruiser HMS Curlew with its radar installation, the British managed to detect the approach of the enemy before they arrived at the scene of the attack.
As it turned out, this raid was a distraction by the German command to divert the attention of the Allied forces from the invasion of Denmark and Norway. The second attack on Scapa Flow was carried out at sunset on April 10, when 60 German bombers launched an attack in two waves - one from the east, the second from the southeast. Both groups were approaching at an altitude of less than 3 km, but were met by the fully completed Scapa Barrage system. Only 20 aircraft were able to break through the barrier, which again turned out to be the barriers of the Hawks Sound channel. Again, it was not possible to achieve the goals, however, during the raid, a heavy cruiser was damaged HMS Suffolk. During the raid, at least five enemy bombers were shot down. Over time, intelligence reported that several damaged German aircraft never reached their bases.
This was the last serious Luftwaffe raid on the Scapa Flow base, as it became clear to the German command that the level of protection of the harbor would not allow any more effective air raid without serious losses from the attackers. However, on April 24, an attempt was made to fly around the Scapa Barrage. Only five aircraft that took part in the attack succeeded. However, the air raid was again unsuccessful. From that time on, the German command limited itself to tasks for mining coastal waters and reconnaissance. However, even these missions turned out to be very risky, since the airspace around Scapa Flow was constantly monitored by British interceptors with the constant support of early warning systems.
Since then, the harbor of Scapa Flow has become one of the most peaceful and safe places to base the Home Fleet.
Results of World War II
After the German attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941, the threat of another attack on Scapa Flow decreased even more. While the base of Scapa Flow served as the starting point for the Royal Navy in organizing and escorting Arctic convoys, for the ground garrison, the military crisis was effectively over after the winter of 1941-42. However, the first reduction in the size of the garrison occurred in the summer of 1943. At the same time, a number of searchlights and a large number of air defense guns were dismantled. The need for the presence of a large number of searchlights has disappeared due to the introduction of fire control systems for batteries of heavy air defense guns. Moreover, by 1944, the capital itself was in dire need of air defense protection equipment due to the threat from German V-1 rockets. It was planned to remove the blocking balloons next. With preparations for the day of landing in Normandy, the ground garrison was again reduced in numbers. The completion of the Churchill Barriers also eliminated the need for the large number of coastal gun emplacements that protected the main passages to Scapa Flow harbor.
With the surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945, the dismantling of protective structures began from the easternmost part of the base. The remains of the Royal Navy left the harbor heading south or to the Far East. Gun mounts, after dismantling, were sent either to warehouses or for scrapping. The airfields were dismantled one by one. The process of complete clearing of coastal waters from minefields and the return of land to civilian use continued for several years after the end of the war.
The official completion of all work to close the base at Scapa Flow took place on March 29, 1959. Until that moment, the base at Scapa Flow remained the largest garrison of the Second World War, with a strength of over 40,000 troops at one time.
Scapa Flow today
The location of the coastal 152-mm artillery battery in Rerwick Head in Scapa Flow
If in the first decades after the war, the inhabitants of the Orkney Islands spoke negatively about the remains of the war, in our time their attitude has changed to a more tolerant one. After the end of the Second World War, many buildings began to be used for peaceful purposes, some even for living (this is more true for buildings in Hatston, near Kirkwall). Elsewhere, farmers used the military quarters for agricultural purposes - for example, coastal artillery battery quarters were used as temporary natural shelters for livestock during bad weather. Today, the Orkney Islands are littered with numerous wartime remains, making this part of the archipelago valuable for researchers of the events of the Second World War.
Many of the Coast Guard's artillery mounts remained apparently intact, while the various structures that had been used to maintain them had long since been dismantled. Today, the empty areas of the removed searchlights, lookout posts and gun mounts are the most numerous reminders of the war period in Orkney's history.
Some of these Coast Guard artillery emplacements, namely Stranger Head, Roan Head and Kneb on Flotta Island, Hawke's Balfour on South Ronaldsday Island, and Rarwick Head in Tankerness, were open to the public. The Battery at Houghton is also open to the public.
Most of the other installations, such as those at Carness, Holm, Burray and Deerness, are on private property and require permission from their owners to visit. As for the onshore installation at Ness, near Stromness, it is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense and is not publicly accessible. Some of them are already dangerous for visiting, as they are in disrepair, especially the premises in Hawks and Carness.
World War I 101mm gun positions near Stromness that protected the Hoy Sound pass
The Lyness Naval Base is now a small museum, and its shipyard is used as the main ferry terminal for Hoy Island. Almost all fuel tanks were dismantled. The last of them has been converted into part of the museum. In the early 1970s, Flotta Island was converted into an oil terminal to receive oil from oil pipelines in the North Sea. However, traces of the Second World War are still visible. Now oil tankers stop to anchor where the entire harbor fleet of Scapa Flow was once located. One of the buoys on the surface of the water in the harbor serves as a mark of the battleship's sinking. HMS Vanguard Bibliography
