- Brummer
- Bow of the Brummer
- Bridge of the Brummer
- Bridge of the Brummer
- Rebreather divers visiting the Brummer
- 5.7in gun - Brummer
- Deck of the Dresden
- Wreckage from the Dresden
- Diver on the Dresden
- Divers on the Dresden
- Divers on the Dresden
- Diver on the Dresden
- The wreck of the Köln is smothered in plumose
anemones
- Gun underneath the upturned hull of the battleship
Kronprinz Wilhelm
- Conning tower on the Karlsruhe
- 5.7in Gun on the Karlsruhe
- Capstan on the Karlsruhe
- Anchor pit on the Karlsruhe
- 5.7in Gun on the Karksruhe
- Rudders of the battleship Kronprinz Wilhelm
- Anti-aircraft guns on the Barge
- Wreck of the "Barge"
- Gun on the F2
- Diver swimming-out of the F2
- Gun on the F2
- Gun on the F2
- Range finder on the Köln
- Range finder on the Köln
- Wreck of the Cruiser Köln
- The Tabarka was sunk twice as a blockship
- Engine room of the Tabarka
- 5.7in gun on the Brummer
- Top of the conning tower on the Brummer
- Bow of the Dresden
- Bow of the Dresden
- 5.7in gun with a resident conger eel
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At the end
of the First World War, the whole German High Seas
fleet was interned at Scapa Flow, a British navy base
in the Orkney islands north of Scotland.
On 21 July 1919, unaware that the WWI
armistice had been extended, and fearing a new start
of hostilities, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter decided that
the ships should not be seized by Britain. He sent
the message "Paragraph 11. Confirm" from
ship to ship, a coded order to open the seacocks and
sink the vessels.
In all, 74 ships went down in one afternoon in what
was the biggest mass-scutling in history. The British
navy, out on exercise that day, returned too late and
could only save a handful of vessels which were taken
in tow and beached wherever possible.
Most of the vessels have now been salvaged for scrap
metal, but some battleships can still be visited, such
as the 24,000-tonnes Kronprinz Wilhelm and Markgraf.
Several light cruisers (5,000 tonnes) like the Desden,
Brummer, Karlsruhe and Cöln also offer very interesting
dives.
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