A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 227, 21 June 1941, Page 8

A BACKGROUND OF THE WAR

Scuttling The High Seas Fleet SCAPA FLOW DRAMA

On the afternoon of June 21,1919, 22 years ago today, the German High Seas Fleet, which bad surrendered to Britain’s Grand Fleet just seven months earlier and had been interned in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands was scuttled by order of Its commanding officer, Rear-Admiral Ludwig von Reuter. The toll of the day was the greatest maritime destruction the world had ever known. Of 74 ships, the finest men-of-war of the world’s second strongest navy, 50 went to the bottom. The High Seas Fleet was dead. The last vestige of Hohenzollem naval might was destroyed. The news of the scuttling of the ships was received with surprise, indignation, and resentment, till the conditions under which the ships were held became generally known. It was then viewed rather more tolerantly. Actually, the scuttling was a blessing in disguise, for it solved the problem of the disposal of the ships, a matter bristling with many difficulties which otherwise would have had to be settled by the Allied Peace Conference in Paris. It definitely established the German tradition of scuttling ships.

Imprisoned Fleet How the German High Seas Fleet came to be in Scapa Flow is explained by the terms of the Armistice. Clause 23 of this instrument required that the principal ships of the German Navy—--16 capital ships, eight light cruisers, and 50 destroyers—should be disarmed and interned in neutral ports, or, failing them, Allied ports, and placed under the surveillance of the Allies and the United States. Only care and maintenance parties were to be left on board. As none of the neutral Powers was desirous of having the ships in its charge, it was finally agreed tha; they should be taken to Britain. Accordingly Rear-Admiral von Reuter left Germany at noon on November 19, 1918, aud his fleet was met on the morning of November 21 by the Grand Fleet under Admiral Beatty, and escorted to Rosyth. That afternoon the signal was made by Beatty’s order: “The German Hag will be hauled down at sunset, aud will not be hoisted again without permission.” After the ships had been inspected to ascertain that the terms of disarmament bad been complied with, they were taken to Scapa Flow. The Germans spent a dismal winter in that remote anchorage. They were not permitted to land. The ships could communicate with one another only once a day and by means of the British patrol boats. Once a month there was communication with Germany by means of a transport which carried stores and mails. There was very little comfort on board a German warship at the best of times, and in the conditions which obtained at Scapa Flow, coupled with.the enforced idleness, it is small wonder that Admiral von Reuter and his officers found it difficult to maintain discipline. The Admiral’s authority was limited from the outset by the Soldiers' and Sailors’ Council. More than once he appealed to the British Naval authorities for help, and large numbers of the most disorderly men were, with British assistance, sent back to Germany. The return of the unruly men to Germany after each of these disturbances, without reliefs, suited von Reuter’s plans, as he wns able to retain loyal and reliable men in each ship. Out of the 4700 originally in the crews, not many more than one-third were left by the spring. The Scuttling Plan

During the progress of the Peace Conference in Paris, von Reuter discussed with certain of his officers measures for sinking the ships, and by the end of May the plans were finalized. In his book, justifying his action and explaining the situation, he declared that he took entire responsibility for what was done. On June. 17, von Reuter circulated a secret order to Ills officers to have everything in readiness to sink their ships at a given signal, or should the British try to take possession of them. June 21 was decided upon as ‘The Day." On that morning, by a coincidence which was fortunate for the conspirators, the British battleship division at Scapa commanded by ViceAdmiral Sir Sydney Fremantle, went to sea for torpedo practice. The departure of the British ships was anxiously watched by the Germans, and as soon as the last was out of sight, von Reuter in his flagship, the cruiser Emden, ordered the signal to be made for the scuttling of every German ship. Everything was in readiness Mater poured into the hulls in solid streams. It was not till the Germans were seen to be abandoning their ships, some of which had started to list, that the British guards in the patrol-boats realized that something serious was happening. They raced through the lines of ships, ordering the Germans back on board. When the latter resisted, riflefire was opened and there were casualties. A radio cal) for assistance was sent out to the absent battleships, which returned at full speed. Fifty Ships Sunk

Scapa Flow anchorage presented an awe-inspiring sight as the German heavy ships, one after another, heeled over and capsized, or went down bow first or stern-first. Of the 24 capital ships, only nine were still afloat when Admiral Fremantle arrived back at 2.30. The Hindenburg, last of all, went down at 5 o’clock on an even keel, oniv her masts and funnels showing above water. The battleship Baden and the cruisers Emden, Frankfurt, and Nurnberg, were beached. Eighteen of the 50 destroyers were run aground; two remained afloat at their moorings. Fifty ships had gone to the bottom. Admiral von Reuter and his officers and men were made prisoners and taken on board H.M.S. Revenge. Before thev were sent to an internment camp in Wales, Admiral Fremantle addressed them on the quarterdeck of his flagship and expressed his "indignation at the deed you have perpetrated. which was that of a traitor violating the action of the arrangements entered into between Germany and the Allies. For nearly five years the wrecks were allowed to lie undisturbed. In April, 1924, a start was made with the colossal task of raising them. A Sheffield firm of iron and steel merchants and shipbreakers undertook this as a commercial venture. The operations provided work for hundreds of men for many years, as did the work or breaking up the ships The destroyers were the first unt,s raised. The battle-cruiser Moltke■ was floated in June. 1927, and the Seydlitz in November. 1928. Both were towed, bottom uppermost, to Rosyth. The battleship Kaiser was refloated, also bottom up. in March. 1929 One by one with infinite labour, the great ships were refloated and towed away to be scrapped. It was the greatest job of its kind ever undertaken. —(S.D.W.)