Latest news with #ScapaFlow
Sky News
3 days ago
- Sky News
Legal protection for Scapa Flow site where German fleet was scuttled during First World War
The site where German sailors deliberately scuttled their High Seas Fleet at the end of the First World War has been awarded legal protection in Scotland. Scapa Flow has been designated a Historic Marine Protected Area by the Scottish government, making it a criminal offence to remove, alter or disturb items at the Orkney Islands site. In June 1919, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered German crews to deliberately sink the vessels that were being held by the Royal Navy in the Scottish harbour. The decision was made amid fears of post-war peace talks failing and the fleet subsequently being seized by the British and potentially used against Germany. Of the 74 ships being held there, 52 were sunk. The Scottish government said Scapa Flow played an important role as a naval base during the First and Second World Wars and includes the "largest concentration of warship wrecks" in the UK. Some of the wrecks and sunken artefacts have been salvaged over the years, with the waters remaining popular with divers. The site of a Swedish ship which sank off the coast of Shetland during strong winds in 1745 was also designated as a Historic Marine Protected Area. The Queen of Sweden, built in Stockholm in 1741 to trade with China, is one of the best-preserved remains of a Swedish East India Company ship located in waters around Scotland. It is hoped the legal designation will help to preserve the two sites. MSP Gillian Martin, cabinet secretary for climate action and energy, said: "The designation of these sites recognises their national value and will help to ensure that future generations can continue to explore, learn from, and be inspired by Scotland's underwater heritage." Read more from Sky News: Pair arrested on suspicion of murder after one-year-old's death Madonna urges the Pope to go to Gaza The designations will come into effect on 1 November. Orkney Islands Council leader Heather Woodbridge said: "Wrecked vessels, including those of the German High Seas Fleet, are a significant heritage asset and attract visitors from all over the world, contributing to the economy of Orkney. "Sadly, the condition of the wrecks is deteriorating, and these important remains will not last forever. "Officially recognising and protecting these sites is therefore vitally important to maximise their longevity. "This Historic MPA will ensure these irreplaceable assets are protected from future human damage or disturbance while still allowing for responsible access, research and education where appropriate."
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
New legal protections to preserve WWI shipwrecks
New legal protections have been granted to the largest concentration of wrecked warships off the British coast at Scapa Flow, Orkney. This designation creates a Historic Marine Protected Area (MPA) for the site, which includes seven German High Seas fleet battleships scuttled in 1919 and over 90 other vessels. A second Historic MPA was also announced for the Queen of Sweden, an 18th-century Swedish East India Company ship that sank off the coast of Shetland. The new MPA status makes it an offence to remove anything from these wrecks, aiming to preserve what remains of several First World War vessels for future generations. The Scottish government announced these protections to safeguard nationally significant underwater heritage sites, which are popular with divers and contribute to local economies.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
HMS Vanguard: World War One ship's bell recovered after 108 years
A bell from a World War One battleship - which sank with the loss of hundreds of lives in Scapa Flow in Orkney over a century ago - has been recovered by other artefacts from HMS Vanguard - a metal badge from one of the the main guns and a protective plug from a gun barrel, known as a tampion - have also been brought to the will eventually be loaned to the Scapa Flow Museum in Orkney by the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) after conservation work has taken objects were identified by a team of divers who surveyed the wreck in 2017 as part of commemorations to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking. The project has taken three years of planning and has involved the Ministry of Defence, Orkney Islands Council (OIC), the NMRN and the Scottish sinking of HMS Vanguard is believed to be the biggest accidental loss of life in a single incident in the history of the Royal St Vincent-class dreadnought - a veteran of the Battle Of Jutland - was anchored alongside the rest of the Grand Fleet in Scapa Flow on 9 July 1917 when an explosion in a magazine saw her blow up and sink in just a few short moments. Only three of the 848 men onboard survived, one of whom died later from his wreck lies at a depth of 34m (110ft) and is protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act (1986) as a Sovereign Immune permission was secured to bring the artefacts to the surface which lay outside the wreck's current exclusion zone. Wendy Sadler lost her great-grand uncle Henry Metcalf in the sinking of HMS Vanguard and is leading a project to try and find photos of as many of the crew as said it was an emotional moment to be able to see and touch the bell."A hundred years-plus ago your relatives looked at it, heard it ringing," she said."To think of what happened to them that night, losing their lives, and it is not seen for another 110 years - it is a privilege and an honour."We can't stop doing things like this - them fading into history - we've got to keep their memory alive somehow." Experts believe that the tampion is made from horse hair and leather and could have been preserved by bell is distorted from the force of the explosion. It was found about 200m (650ft) from where the ship would have been Hewitt, a naval historian and also the culture team leader at Orkney Islands Council which runs a number of museums, thinks the bell will resonate with those who see it. "Our visitors will look at the bell and they will immediately feel what happened to that ship because it is distorted from the explosion - it is missing the crown that should be on top," he said."It has a hole on the top instead of a crown."Our plan is not to fully restore it, it is not going to look bright and shiny like the Royal Oak bell in the cathedral." The project to recover the objects came about after survey work was undertaken by a team of divers led by Emily Turton, leading up to the centenary commemorations in spent a total of 500 hours mapping together the wreck site, which is spread over a large said it was emotional to be involved in a project which she had been part of for a number of added: "It was lovely to find artefacts that really pertained to the ship, rather than wreckage, along with other personal artefacts."There are musical instruments on Vanguard, there are the clothes and shoes they would have worn so those really have a personal connection."
