SCAPA FLOW, an expanse of sea, in the south of the Ork neys, bounded by Pomona on the north, Burray and South Ronaldshay on the east and south-east, and Hoy on the west and south-west. The area contains seven small islands and is about 15 m. in length from north to south, and about 8 m. in mean breadth. There are two chief exits-one, 7 m. in length and 2 m. in mean breadth, into the Atlantic Ocean by Hoy Sound, and the other, 3-1 m. in length by 2 m. in mean breadth, into the North Sea by Holm Sound.
Admiral Jellicoe chose Scapa Flow in preference to the Cro marty Firth as the chief naval base of the British fleet in the World War, but in Aug. 1914 everything had to be improvised, guns being landed from the ships to strengthen the defences.
Scapa Flow thus gradually assumed the aspect of a great naval station. The German ships surrendered in Nov. 1918 were in terned in Scapa Flow, where on June 21, 1919 all the battleships and battle cruisers, with the exception of the battleship "Baden" and five light cruisers, were scuttled by their German crews. Three light cruisers and some smaller vessels were beached. Naval Aspects.—Scapa Flow now has an historic interest which would never have been attached to it save for the World War. As the main base of the Grand Fleet throughout the earlier period of the war it was a strategic position of great importance. Long before August 1914 it had been used by the ships of the Home or Channel fleets on periodical visits to northern waters, because its roomy and well-sheltered waters provided at one and the same time a good anchorage and an excellent practice ground.
In the Admiralty war plans it was the intention that the main fleet should work from this base and control the North Sea, while a smaller fleet based on Portland would watch the English Chan nel. The Grand Fleet, as it was afterwards called, moved to Scapa Flow during the latter days of July 1914 and it was there fore at its war station at the outbreak of hostilities, but at that time this anchorage was far from being secure against attack by submarines, and in the early days numerous scares arose in the fleet that enemy submarines had actually penetrated into the har bour. In point of fact no German submarine ever did achieve the dangerous passage into the Flow. Apart from the defences which were eventually established, the very strong currents across the entrance made navigation under water especially risky. One enemy submarine was destroyed in the outer approaches in November 1914, and four years later, after the mutiny in the German fleet, one of their submarines manned entirely by officers, perished in a last despairing effort to achieve success.
All channels to Scapa Flow, except the Hoxa and Hoy entrances, were fairly effectively blocked by sinking old ships in them. A
submarine obstruction was placed in the Hoy entrance, while the fleet used the Hoxa sound, which was also protected and closely patrolled. In addition to these obstructions, the gun de fences were materially increased, while facilities for maintenance were improved by the addition of a small floating dock for destroyers and the provision of a number of repair and supply ships.
Although Scapa Flow had many advantages, the fleet felt the want of a fully equipped dockyard nearer than those in the south of England, and this in due course was met by sending a large floating dock to Invergordon in the Cromarty Firth, while the work on the newly-started dockyard at Rosyth on the Firth of Forth was pressed forward as rapidly as possible. With the com pletion of the outer defences of the latter, the greater part of the Grand Fleet was eventually moved south to join the battle cruisers which had been based on the southern port since Decem ber 1914.
The Flow was, nevertheless, to witness one final dramatic scene, when on June 21, 1919, the most important units of what had been the German High Sea Fleet, interned in its waters, were scuttled and abandoned by their crews. The situation which made this possible has often been misunderstood and attributed to some laxity on the part of the British ships on guard. In fact it was impossible for the latter to prevent what was done. In spite of the protests of Britain's naval representatives, her allies would not agree to her definitely taking over the German vessels; they were therefore interned and not surrendered, which meant that they retained the officers and crews which had navigated them across the North Sea, and were only under such distant observa tion that it was impossible to detect the preconcerted and simul taneous opening of under-water valves which led to their sinking. The Germans were evidently intent on avoiding the humiliation of seeing their best ships under the flag of a foreign navy, but it must have been a poor consolation that their last resting-place should have been in the very waters from which the fleet which had over-awed them throughout the war was wont to set forth. They were, moreover, compelled to pay dearly for their breach of faith by having to surrender other tonnage. By 1928 a num ber of the ships had been raised by a British firm and broken up to be sold as scrap iron, and the work was still continuing. Scapa Flow is visited from time to time by the British Atlantic Fleet, but with the exception of the salvage work it has largely sunk back to the peaceful conditions prevalent there before the World War. (E. A.)