The Grand Scuttle: The Sinking of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919 [Paperback]

Dan Van der Vat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

On June 21, 1919 the Scottish anchorage at Scapa Flow witnessed one of the most dramatic events in naval history. The German High Seas Fleet had sailed into British waters under the terms of the treaty ending World War I. Possibly misled by British newspaper reports, the German admiral in command decided to scuttle the fleet rather than let it fall into British hands--the operation resulting in the last casualties and the last prisoners of World War I.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Dan van der Vat is a superb storyteller' - The Northern Mariner 'an excellent book that tells its story with style and passion ... highly recommended' - New Shetlander --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Dan van der Vat was born in Holland and educated in England. He became a full-time writer after twenty-five years as a journalist. He has published seven books on maritime history. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Birlinn (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1874744823
• ISBN-13: 978-1874744825
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,495,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, well-researched account, August 12, 1999

By A Customer

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This review is from: The Grand Scuttle: The Sinking of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919 (Paperback)

I was very impressed with the scope of this book. The author uses the first few chapters to describe the political situation leading to the construction of the fleets, as well as the events which led to the German internment. He next covers the activities of the fleet while at Scapa Flow in depth, and, following the scuttling, completes the account with information about the subsequent salvage operations. This book is comprehensive, but not so bogged down in detail that you lose sight of the story, its reasons and its characters. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Event, October 19, 2006

By 

Peter Hobson (Groton, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Grand Scuttle: The Sinking of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919 (Hardcover)

On June 21, 1919 occurred the greatest single loss of shipping since Man first sat astride a log and floated away from land. The Persian Fleet met its end at Salamis and the U.S. Pacific Fleet was smashed at Pearl Harbor, but both of these disasters resulted from enemy action. The Spanish Armada was scattered and destroyed, but the main reason for its doom was a big storm. The German High Seas Fleet survived a cataclysmic war almost unscathed, but the bulk of its strength and tonnage was destroyed by order of the German admiral in command at the time. The scale of loss, over 400,000 tons of the finest warships then in existence, 74 vessels of which 52 actually went to the bottom under the eyes of the enemy, is unique in itself. That it was an act of self-destruction based on a misapprehension compounds the uniqueness of the event.

At the end of World War I, the German High Seas Fleet was sent to Scapa Flow in the north of Scotland for internment. The ships were demilitarized (i.e., all ammunition was off-loaded and all weapons were disabled) and swung at anchor while the Treaty of Versailles was being thrashed out. Skeleton German crews were on board and the Fleet was under the command of Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter. In mid-June 1919, Reuter, whose English was not good, read an article in The Times that the High Seas Fleet was to be parcelled out to the victorious powers. Rather than have that happen, he arranged for all the ships to be scuttled, and gave the order on June 21st.

Unfortunately, The Times article was about options under discussion at Versailles. While the French, Japanese and Italians wanted some of the German ships, the British and Americans didn't want to upset the balance of naval power. The same day that Reuter had the Fleet scuttled, the British and Americans prevailed upon the other allies to have the ships scrapped.

Van der Vat discusses the situation in Germany at the end of the war, what conditions were like on the ships interned in Scapa Flow, and how dislike and distrust of the Germans by the British caused the scuttle. He explains how the scuttle took place and how it caused the final casualties of the First World War. Van der Vat concludes by describing the decades long salvage of the High Seas Fleet. As a bit of trivia, fragments of the Kaiser's fleet are in demand for making scientific instruments and some small bits of the German ships are probably on the Moon.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Where did the High Seas Fleet go?, July 8, 2002

By 

Ronald D. Morley (Gobles, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Grand Scuttle: The Sinking of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow in 1919 (Paperback)

The answer is - to the bottom of Scapa Floe. This book covers one of the least known and written about aspects of WWI, the fate of the German High Seas Fleet after the armistice was put into effect on November 11, 1918. Prior to reading this book about all I knew was that the fleet had been taken to the British naval base of Scapa Floe and had somehow managed to scuttle itself, leaving the British with a large mess on their hands. The hows and whys of the scuttling are covered in a very even-handed manner. Indeed, one comes to sympathize with the German Admiral, in command of the once proud and mighty fleet, now charged with preventing it from falling into the hands of the British while having to deal with mutinous crews, minimal supplies, and constant British vigilence.

The Story leading up to the scuttle itself is told in good detail. However, the extensive salvage operations carried out by the British after the event are compressed into only a few pages. This is the weakest portion of the book, but the part that could be the most interesting. Unfortunately, the reader is mostly left to guess about how the British cleared up the wrecks, a process which took almost twenty years and is still not really complete. There are a few pictures of the salvage operations added seemingly as an afterthought. However, since the book is about the events leading up to the actual scuttling itself this is not a major problem, merely a matter of personal preference. All in all this book is a good value and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in WWI naval warfare.