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Sinking of German Fleet, Scapa Flow, 21 June 1919
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Sinking of German Fleet, Scapa Flow, 21 June 1919
Sinking of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow after the First World War, 21 June 1919.
1919
Mary Evans Picture Library makes available wonderful images created for people to enjoy over the centuries
Media ID 23150692
© The John Barrett Collection / Mary Evans
Destroyer Destroyers Destruction Flow Postwar Scapa Sink Sinking 1919 Fleet
EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative image captures the final moments of the German High Seas Fleet as it met its watery grave in Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919. The First World War had ended just over a year prior, but the terms of the Treaty of Versailles demanded the surrender of the German Navy to the Allied powers. On this fateful day, under the command of Admiral Ludwig Reichsgraf von Reuter, the fleet was ordered to be scuttled rather than face certain dismantling or capture. The scene in this photograph is one of chaos and destruction. Smoke billows from the stricken ships as they list heavily in the water. Destroyers, like the one seen here, race around the fleet attempting to prevent the German sailors from saving their vessels. The once mighty German Navy, a symbol of imperial power and pride, is now reduced to a collection of sinking wrecks. The sea around them is a tumultuous mix of waves and foam, reflecting the turmoil of the moment. The sinking of the German Fleet at Scapa Flow was a significant event in the aftermath of the First World War. It marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. For the Allied powers, it was a victory, a symbol of their dominance on the seas. For Germany, it was a humiliation, a reminder of their defeat and the cost of war. The image of these sinking ships would become a powerful symbol of the post-war world, a world forever changed by the events of the previous decade.
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