41 – Scuttle

At 14.30 the leading destroyers of the First Battle Squadron arrived back in Scapa Flow.

By then two German battleships, one battlecruiser and four light cruisers remained afloat, but all were sinking. By the end of the day, 51 ships were sent to the bottom of Scapa Flow.

SMS Hindenburg resting on the bottom of Scapa Flow

The capital ships

Rear-Admiral von Reuter noted the times of sinking of the twenty-four capital ships.

Four were not sunk successfully – Baden, Emden, Frankfurt and Nurnberg. They were towed or drifted ashore and beached.

The destroyers

About half the destroyers were beached or sank in shallow water – they had been berthed closer to the shore than the capital ships.

Destroyers sinking 

SMS Bayern sinking

SMS Bayern’s final plunge

SMS Derfflinger four minutes after scuttling

SMS Seydlitz capsized

Twenty capital ships were sunk while four, Baden, Emden, Frankfurt and Nürnberg, were towed or drifted ashore and beached.

SMS Nürnberg beached at Scapa Flow

The destroyers were moored in shallow water, closer to the shore, so more of them were saved, Twenty six were sunk while twenty four were towed or drifted ashore and beached.

A Royal Navy boarding party prepare to board and save a German destroyer

Destroyers beached at Scapa Flow

During the afternoon of Saturday 21st June, 1,774 German sailors were picked up by battleships of the First Battle Squadron. Fremantle had sent out a general order declaring that the Germans were to be treated as prisoners-of-war for having broken the armistice and they were destined for the camps at Nigg.
Von Reuter and a number of his officers were brought onto the quarterdeck of HMS Revenge, where Fremantle – through an interpreter – denounced their actions as dishonourable.

Privately, many of the British realized that von Reuter had done them a favour. The scuttling had immediately ended the squabbling over the division of the ships, and this speeded up the process of treaty negotiations. Peace was settled by the Treaty of Versailles which was signed on 28th June 1919 and took effect on 10th January 1920.

When the Germans were released in January 1920, they were hailed as heroes upon their return to Germany.