Orkney Islands
The Orkney Islands lie just 6 miles north of mainland Scotland. There are about 70 islands in the archipelago; about 20 of them are inhabited. Within the charming towns, rolling hills and pastures, and scattered castles, lie deep roots of archeological, military, and natural history. Certainly one of the most well known histories here is that of Scapa Flow. It was here at the end of WWI, where 74 ships of the German Fleet were escorted into Scapa Flow. Originally no one knew how long the ships would stay, as all waited for the Treaty of Versailles to be completed. Weeks stretched into months, as the skeleton crews of these German boats were forced to wait on their ships, as they became covered in rust, and the crews grew more and more anxious. Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter was the officer in charge of the fleet, and had been watching the newspapers closely. Realizing that if the armistice broke, the war would start again, and if this happened, the British would surely seize the disabled German fleet. On June 21, 1919, Reuter issued the order to scuttle the fleet.
Scapa Flow is the final resting-place for these ships. The histories of the ships can be found throughout the world, and certainly in every bookstore in the Orkneys. Most lie in about 100 feet of water, surrounded by the green, leaving imagination the job of picturing what the fleet now looks like, as one travels above the surface.
But there is another way to take a look at the fleet, and that is by SCUBA diving. Scapa Flow has become a Mecca for wreck divers, hundreds flocking every year to take a look at the wrecks up close and personal. Undersea Specialist, Dennis Cornejo, and I could not resist either, so we boarded one of the many diving boats, and headed out to dive on the cruiser, Cöln. The Cöln was one of the first ships to get the order to scuttle, and she now lies on her side in 64 – 112 feet of water. The Cöln is now home to the plentiful marine life that dwells in these waters: anemones, brittle stars, hydroids, fish, sponges, and the list goes on and on; one almost didn’t know where to point the camera, there was so much to take in. It was quite amazing to experience such history first hand, for a little while becoming part of it, but that is the way of the Orkneys.
The Orkney Islands lie just 6 miles north of mainland Scotland. There are about 70 islands in the archipelago; about 20 of them are inhabited. Within the charming towns, rolling hills and pastures, and scattered castles, lie deep roots of archeological, military, and natural history. Certainly one of the most well known histories here is that of Scapa Flow. It was here at the end of WWI, where 74 ships of the German Fleet were escorted into Scapa Flow. Originally no one knew how long the ships would stay, as all waited for the Treaty of Versailles to be completed. Weeks stretched into months, as the skeleton crews of these German boats were forced to wait on their ships, as they became covered in rust, and the crews grew more and more anxious. Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter was the officer in charge of the fleet, and had been watching the newspapers closely. Realizing that if the armistice broke, the war would start again, and if this happened, the British would surely seize the disabled German fleet. On June 21, 1919, Reuter issued the order to scuttle the fleet.
Scapa Flow is the final resting-place for these ships. The histories of the ships can be found throughout the world, and certainly in every bookstore in the Orkneys. Most lie in about 100 feet of water, surrounded by the green, leaving imagination the job of picturing what the fleet now looks like, as one travels above the surface.
But there is another way to take a look at the fleet, and that is by SCUBA diving. Scapa Flow has become a Mecca for wreck divers, hundreds flocking every year to take a look at the wrecks up close and personal. Undersea Specialist, Dennis Cornejo, and I could not resist either, so we boarded one of the many diving boats, and headed out to dive on the cruiser, Cöln. The Cöln was one of the first ships to get the order to scuttle, and she now lies on her side in 64 – 112 feet of water. The Cöln is now home to the plentiful marine life that dwells in these waters: anemones, brittle stars, hydroids, fish, sponges, and the list goes on and on; one almost didn’t know where to point the camera, there was so much to take in. It was quite amazing to experience such history first hand, for a little while becoming part of it, but that is the way of the Orkneys.
