The Great Scuttle: The End of the German High Seas Fleet: Witnessing History

Witness the dramatic end of the German High Seas Fleet at Scapa Flow through vivid eyewitness accounts.

In 1919, following Germany's surrender, its High Seas Fleet was interned at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. To prevent the Allied Powers from seizing his ships, Admiral von Reuter orchestrated their scuttling, a secret operation carried out by skeleton crews. As the ships sank, a group of schoolchildren found themselves unexpectedly amidst an event of global significance.

The Great Scuttle vividly recounts this pivotal day, drawing upon firsthand narratives to immerse readers in the crisis. Through personal letters, archival materials, and contemporary photographs, the book brings to life the extraordinary events of that midsummer's day. Perfect for history buffs and anyone fascinated by naval history, this is a gripping account of a fleet's demise and the human stories intertwined within.

David Meara is a retired Church of England clergyman who worked in the Oxford Diocese for 27 years, and then served as Rector of St. Bride’s Fleet Street and Archdeacon of London until 2014. He has made a lifetime study of church movements and brasses and has published extensively on the subject. He has always had a passion for railways, has traveled extensively over the network in Britain, and has traveled regularly on the Anglo-Scottish sleepers since the late 1950s.