Scotland’s Orkney Islands were home to a naval base during both World Wars and the waters around them are – quite literally – filled with military history.
Following the end of World War One, dozens of German warships were interned here and were deliberately sunk at the orders of a German Rear Admiral, who did not want the crafts to be used by the British. Now these and other wrecks are magnet for divers and history enthusiasts.
ORKNEY, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Gibson Family
Germany was forced to give up most of its navy after being defeated in World War One, and 74 of its warships (pictured above) were interned at Scapa Flow, a stretch of water south of Orkney mainland.
German Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter wanted to prevent the British seizing the ships and on June 21, 1919, mistakenly thinking that the Armistice had broken down, he ordered them to be sunk, or “scuttled”. He succeeded in sending over fifty to the bottom.
8 May 2014 . ORKNEY, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis
Most of the wrecks from the so-called “Grand Scuttle” have since been salvaged. However, there are still seven sunken warships from the incident that are popular destinations for divers.
One of them is the SMS Coln, pictured above.
5 May 2014 . ORKNEY, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis
Gary Gibson’s mother Peggy was 10 years old when she witnessed the German warships sink.
At the time, Peggy and her three sisters, Lillian, Anna and Tina, were out on a school trip. At first they thought the Germans were putting on a show for them and they were quite excited; it was only when the adults started to panic and Germans began jumping from the ships that they realised something was wrong.
8 May 2014 . ORKNEY, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis
Other vessels were deliberately sunk around Orkney during both World Wars to try and obstruct attacks on British ships. One so-called “blockship” is pictured above.
Such defences were not enough, however, to stop a U-Boat torpedoing HMS Royal Oak killing over 800 men in 1939. To prevent a repeat of this attack, Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered barriers to be put up to protect the fleet.
3 May 2014 . ORKNEY, United Kingdom. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis
Italian prisoners of war were brought in to help build the so-called “Churchill Barriers”.
Among them was an artist named Domenico Chiocchetti, who was behind the construction of the “Italian Chapel” in a POW camp. The elaborately decorated building remains a popular site in Orkney today.