21st June 1919: The German fleet is scuttled at Scapa Flow

The ships had been confined there under the terms of the Armistice that ended fighting in the First World War.
America had suggested that the fleet be interned in a neutral country but, as neither Norway nor Sweden agreed, Britain volunteered instead. The majority of the 74 German ships were in Scapa Flow by the 27th November, where they were guarded by British Battle Cruiser Force. The fleet was manned by a skeleton crew of less than 5,000 men that gradually reduced over the next few months as they were repatriated back to Germany.
Negotiations over the fate of the ships took place at the Paris Peace Conference, where the various representatives were struggling to agree on a resolution. While Britain wanted to destroy the ships in order to maintain their naval superiority, France and Italy each wanted to take a quarter each. Concerned that the entire fleet might be shared out between the victors, Admiral von Reuter, the German officer in charge of the interned fleet, began planning to scuttle or purposely sink the ships.
Shortly before 11.30 on the morning of the 21st June the order went out to scuttle the ships. By 5pm 52 of them had sunk. The sailors escaped on lifeboats, and were captured as British prisoners-of-war. Nine sailors were shot and killed, making them the last German casualties of the war.

[@dpagain2167]

Has anyone pointed out that the British got exactly what they wanted, the destruction of the German fleet. Perhaps it was made not too difficult for the Germans to carry out the scuttling.

[@Brinkly1000]

Britain got exactly what they wanted - no distribution of the German fleet into allied rivals. I don’t blame the German Navy at all for their decision. Britain would have done exactly the same if put in the same position. France destroyed a lot of her ships when Germany rolled in to the Free French zone in 1943.

[@nicholasvolpi8676]

What about melting them for iron

[@lawrencelewis2592]

that's what happened.

[@mebeasensei]

I wonder why and how the last unfortunate German sailors were shot? Perhaps the British tried to apprehend them in their efforts to scuttle the remaining ships once the British became aware of the situation? Surely the British must have been on alert for this possibility?

[@javiergilvidal1558]

I don´t think it was a matter of "being relieved", but of cunning coaxing of the Germans into "deciding" to sink their own ships. Quite "per chance", the Royal Navy was all away on "manouvres" of questionable merit in a brand new period of peace, in order to leave the Germans free hand to scuttle their ships. The British have always been exceptionally clever for this kind of manouvres

[@peterrebic4436]

panick,,,confusion,,etc i would think.

[@margaretsmallallan28]

With the $ sign used, I take it that it has been people from the USA who have been salvaging the ships! Is this being allowed because they were partners in the war?

[@jamestomlinson300]

I wonder why the rest are not lifted

[@ramseybarber8312]

Hi And along came George Cox in the 1920's and bought the lot for £10'000 and set up the biggest scrap metal company ever seen Cox and Danks becoming the 600 Group. Then the price of Nickel used in the armour plating went through the roof after the atomic bomb as because it was submerged it was not contamiated [used for surgical instraments ] and it is still being salviged today

[@leoncomar2038]

They have not been salvaged in years. You are not allowed to take anything from the ships.

[@matthewwilliams2709]

New foundry methods has been developed to produce uncontaminated alloys needed for such scientific equipment that’s cheaper than salvage costs currently. Illegal salvage still occurs in some regions of the world of shallow depth wrecks yet for different reasons such as the standard value of scrap steel is $100 a ton brass $2 a lb copper $2 plus lb a lot of both in wrecks. Also armored steel is an alloy thus of better $$ value than market steel tonnage rates. Also the illegal salvage work being done are in regions of the world without strong governmental environment regulations and enforcement so the salvage costs are downright cheap anyone killed during the salvage isn’t reported methods used are likely explosives fast and cheap smash and grab in chunks. Old war wrecks are oftentimes stuffed with old yet still live ammunition already upon site least were I to do such salvage work I’d consider using on site munitions to aide in getting the wreck broken into removable chunks as well to eliminate such dangerous items.

[@johnwick-ii6il]

They were sunk before any decision of what to do with them ? Was Germany ever forced to pay any reparations for the cot of disposing the ships ? Who paid for the raising and disposal , and why ?