EXTRA INFO
PHOTO NAVAL SMS KRON PRINZ WILHELM - THE INTERNMENT OF THE IMPERIAL GERMAN NAVY'S HIGH SEAS FLEET AT SCAPA FLOW FOLLOWING THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES ON 11TH NOVEMBER 1918 WAS THE BEGINNING OF AN INTERESTING PERIOD IN OUR HISTORY. THE ENTIRE FLEET OF 74 SHIPS HAD BEEN ASSEMBLED IN THE NATURAL HARBOUR AT SCAPA FLOW IN THE ORKNEY ISLANDS WHICH WAS ALREADY A ROYAL NAVY BASE. THE GERMAN SHIPS WERE GUARDED BY A SQUADRON OF RN VESSELS. NO GERMANS WERE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THEIR SHIPS OR CROSS TO OTHER SHIPS OR THE LAND FOR THE FULL DURATION OF THE INTERNMENT - SIX MONTHS AS IT HAPPENED. ALL FOOD HAD TO BE SUPPLIED FROM WAR-RAVAGED AND DEFEATED GERMANY AS THE BRITISH REFUSED TO FEED THEIR 20500 CAPTIVES. MEDICAL BUT NOT DENTAL TREATMENT WAS PROVIDED. NO RADIO COMMUNICATION WAS ALLOWED AND THE ENSIGN OF THE GERMAN NAVY HAD TO BE TAKEN DOWN AND STOWED. THIS SITUATION PERSISTED RIGHT UP TO THE DAY ON WHICH GERMANY WAS SUPPOSED TO SIGN THE TREATY OF VERSAILLES IN FRANCE AGREEING THE TERMS OF THEIR SURRENDER. BRITAIN HAD GRADUALLY BEGUN TO REMOVE GERMAN CREW FROM THE VESSELS AND TRANSPORTED THEM FIRST TO NIGG ISLAND POW CAMP AND THENCE BACK TO GERMANY BUT ON THE DAY OF THE SCUTTLING 21ST JUNE 1919 THERE WERE STILL 4800 MEN ON THE SHIPS. THE GERMAN COMMANDER WAS REAR-ADMIRAL VON REUTER. FEARING THAT HIS CAPITAL SHIPS AND DESTROYERS WOULD BE DIVIDED UP AMONGST HIS ENEMIES AT 11.20 AM ON THE MORNING OF 21ST HE FLAG-SIGNALLED THE ORDER TO SCUTTLE. THE FIRST SHIP TO SINK WAS FRIEDRICH DER GROSSE WHICH BEGAN TO LIST HEAVILY TO STARBOARD AROUND 12 NOON AND SANK AT 12.16. AT THIS POINT ALL THE SHIPS HOISTED THE IMPERIAL GERMAN ENSIGN AT THEIR MAINMASTS. THE CREWS THEN BEGAN TO ABANDON SHIP. IN ALL 52 OF THE 74 SHIPS INTERNED SANK. THE ROYAL NAVY WITH NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SCUTTLING PLAN WERE ON FLEET EXERCISES IN THE NORTH SEA AND COULD DO LITTLE TO STOP THE GERMAN SHIPS SINKING. THE PHOTOGRAPHS YOU SEE HERE WERE TAKEN ON A BOX BROWNIE FROM THE TENDER OF HMS CANNING ONE OF THE GUARD SHIPS AND MUST HAVE BEEN TAKEN AFTER 6TH DECEMBER 1918 WHEN SMS DRESDEN ARRIVED BUT BEFORE 9TH JANUARY WHEN SMS BADEN WAS THE LAST TO ARRIVE - SHE IS NOTICEABLY MISSING FROM THIS SET. THE ANNOTATED AERIAL VIEW IS A PICTURE POST CARD THAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME BUT THE LONGITUDINAL VIEW IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN USING A BALLOON. COPYRIGHT (Photograph and text in Extra Info) STEVE KNIGHTPHOTO PAPER THICKNESS NORMAL PHOTOGRAPH THICKNESS
NOTES
REF NO SKV-3931
PHOTO SIZE SIZE 6 X 4 inches
CONDITION: NOTE SOME CROPPING MAY OCCUR OR THERE WITH BE WHITE AREA TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE PRINT DUE TO THE SIZE OF THE PHOTO
WATERMARK IF PRESENT ON THE IMAGE WILL NOT APPEAR ON ITEM SENT TO YOU: NOTES This is a print and supply service for an image that is COPYRIGHT (Photograph and text in Extra Info) STEVE KNIGHT obtained from FLICKR and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License Details available here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ MANY OTHER ITEMS ARE BEING ADDED TO MY SHOP DAILY