Scapa Flow German Fleet scuttle commemorated

A series of events will take place at sea and on land today, Friday, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the scuttling of the German high Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow.

Services of commemoration will be held over the wreck of SMS Dresden, and at the Lyness Naval Cemetery, during which time the 15 German lives which were lost as a result of the internment and scuttling will be remembered.

Those attending the events includes representatives from the Royal Navy and German Navy as well as descendants of those involved in the historic event.

It was following the end of the First World War that 74 ships of the German High Seas Fleet arrived in Scapa Flow for internment as part of the Armistice agreement.

However, on the morning of June 21, 1919, the British fleet left Scapa Flow for exercises. Under the mistaken belief that peace talks had failed, the command was given by Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter to scuttle the German fleet.

A bell rang out, crews once again hoisted the flags of the Imperial German Navy, and 52 ships went to the seabed. It was greatest loss of shipping ever recorded in a single day.

Updates on the commemorative events will be found over on The Orcadian Facebook page today, Friday, and in a special pull-out section in the paper next week.