Scapa Flow,Scotland,dive-sites

Scapa Flow,Orkney Islands, Scotland

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The Scapa story continues...

Dive 6: Kronprinz Weilhelm
Max Depth 38.6m Time 32min Viz 8-10M

Day three on the boat now saw everyone well into their diving and comfortable with their respective buddies. So everyone was in agreement that we would do one of the big three. The Kronprinz was a 25,000 ton destroyer, some 180m's long. Like all of the big three, the weight of her armaments made her top heavy, so when she was scuttled she turned-turtle and landed upside down in about 40m. The sheer weight forced most of the superstructure into the silt bottom of the flow to nearly deck level.

SMS Kronprinz Wilhelm
25,3888 ton German Battleship

This means that other than for some of the side armaments that poke out at 40m, you are basically diving one huge hull. Fortunately, salvagers have blown large holes in the hull making the dives slightly more interesting. We descended down the shot as usual and hit the side of the hull at about 14m. It was then about another 20m descent until the bottom showed itself at about 40m. Diving with a EAN27 mix was useful! As we tucked into the deck area, remnants of the side guns were visible in the darkness. We were now at 38m and the wreck and sandy bottom met in the middle - we were under a 25,000-ton monster. Silt was stirred and we backed out from our den. The NST certainly flies on a dive like this and it was time to ascend slowly up the hull and find the shot line. The line was very very slack and as I pulled it it appeared to be an old shot line just rising off the wreck. So we bagged off from 25m. As we headed up for a longer stop than we really needed, we could see the surface ripping from about 12m's below.

Dive 7: HMS Roedean
Max Depth 16m Time 45 min Viz 6-8m (but very silty)

HMS Roedean is a British 1,000-ton minesweeper, which sank in 1915 after hitting a mine. She has been blasted in the 50's to increase the clearance over her so she is very broken up. Quite sheltered, she is a popular second dive - but the wreck is very, very silty. Did mange to see the prop-shaft, some nice sized starfish and some edible crabs before H's fin kicks blurred out the wreck (Sorry H !). If this dive were on the south coast - divers would be queuing up to dive it and remarking on the excellent viz. But here in Scapa, this wreck is mediocre. I wouldn't recommend it as a dive -Am I starting to get fussy?

Dive 8: Brummer wreck
Max Depth 33m Time 31min Viz 10-12M

As the boat pulled out of Stromness, a confab started and a list was drawn up for the rest of the remaining dives. We had general agreement that wouldn't bother doing the two remaining large battleships (Markgraf and Konig), but rather go for the three destroyers as they sat on their sides and provided more to see. Today's dive was the Brummer. At 4,300 tons, one of the smallest of the big seven. We landed off the shot at a 5.9inch gun turret behind the bridge structure. The gun points menacingly aft. Rod Macdonald's Dive Scapa Flow contains excellent artist's impressions of the big seven. Be warned that there are a few inaccuracies in the drawings, which could confuse you underwater if used for navigation. On the Brummer this aft of bridge gun barrel is shown pointing forward which it isn't. Passing the bridge at 30m we passed the fire control turret with viewing slits then another gun turret with 6inch barrel facing towards the bow. We went as far as the bow, which unfortunately is starting to deteriorate. The 80 years under the Flow are taking their toll. A comment echoed by the old hands on our boat that noted the visible ageing of the wrecks even in recent years. As we came back up the line of the deck to 20m we looked down on the bow. What an immense dive. Voted the best dive of the week by all on our boat. My 100th logged dive since I took my first open water dip some two years previous. Fantastic!

The Surface Interval:
Stopped off at Lyness (Hoy) for our surface interval. Visited the museum. (2UKP entry) Excellent displays of life around Orkneys during the war when a 10,000 strong military contingent was stationed here. Also various items from wrecks are on display including the brass letters of the Royal Oak. Removed by a diver in the 60's. His widow returned them many years later when she discovered them in the attic. Before wreck ferrets start reaching for lump-hammers, the Royal Oak is a war grave and diving is banned. The story of the sinking of the Royal Oak, the grand scuttle and the loss of Lord Kitchener on the Hampshire are related in a video. Ask the chap in the shop to put video number one on for you in the private TV room. An excellent one hour history on Scapa's naval history. (Special thanks to Sandra Castro who lurks on Scuba-UK for that tip!)

The prop from the HMS Hampshire. The Hampshire, a 10,000 ton battle cruiser was sunk by a mine outside the Flow in June 1916. Along with the loss of most of the 655 crew (only 12 survivors) was Lord Kitchener, a British war hero famous for his "Your country needs you" war poster campaign. The 43 ton bronze prop and drive shaft pictured here at the Lyness museum was illegally removed from the war grave in 1983 by a foreign salvage company reportedly doing a survey. The prop was later returned to Orkney after international protests.

Dive 9: F2 and Barge
Max Depth 17m Time 48min Viz 8-10M

By popular demand, the F2 and barge again. Bimbled back and forward between the two wrecks. Highlights were two wrasse having a barney over territory. A large lobster under the barge. More crabs and some congers peering out from various holes in the wrecks. A John-Dorrie has been reported as living around the barge were the rope leads off to the F2. Did have a look but no sign of it I'm afraid. Intending to get the wee drams in to celebrate my 100th dive that night after an excellent "early-bird meal" (Sit down before 1830 and get three course meal for 6.50UKP) at the Ferry-Inn. Unfortunately, all my gang were absolutely wrecked out and went to bed by 900pm. Did mange to knock a few back with some other divers in the Stromness Bar into the evening, talking dive-crap as you do. . But all in all, one of the best days diving I've ever had.

Dive 10: SMS Brummer
Max Depth 32m Time 34min Viz 8-10M

We had planned to do the Coln followed by a blockship in Burra Sound that day and so had set off early at 0815 rather than the usual 915 to catch slack in the sound. But as we steamed towards the Coln, the boat was starting to rock a bit with the 3foot swell. The weather was up this morning. We'd had been blessed up to this point with flat calm weather but we knew we were on borrowed time as October drew to a close. I've been in a lot worse but getting up the ladder might be a little more difficult today. As we kitted up, Bob circled around the site - and then announced from his little window in the wheelhouse that the buoy was no-where to be seen - hold on - we'd be diving the Brummer again. Now there aren't many dive-sites in the world were you can get blown off a 5000-ton wreck, but a 10-minute ride will take you to another equally class wreck! Scapa is wreck paradise! With the Brummer lying in equal depth to our planned dive and with our previous dive on her the day before, dive plans were easily modified for all including ourselves on nitrox. The dive went as before except we decided to come up the shot rather than DSMB it. This caused the only real problem of the week as all nine of us hit the shot at about the same time. When we surfaced we got a chewing from others on the shot for dragging the shot down on them whilst they were doing their 6m stop. Lesson learnt! The fixed shots are excellent for the skippers but the buoys just aren't man enough for the job. DSMB it or make sure your neutrally buoyant on your ascent up the shot - otherwise you will drag it down.

Dive 11: V83 Destoyer
Max Depth 14.4m Time 43min Viz 6M

Other diveboats had reported that Burra Sound was unreachable due to the weather so we headed for the V83 destroyer. The Bow sits at 5m with the shot leading to the stern at 15m. She is broken up amidships. A small gun points at 45degrees and the propshaft is visible. Overall the wreck is quite broken up. Visibility was poorer on this dive than the rest of the dives this week. We did come across a 4-5lb cod, practically motionless except for its gills moving but with its head on the bottom. It was in shock as its tailfin was missing! Touched the poor thing and it flicked away a few metres and settled again - it was a goner. I wonder what did that? Did come across some large congers hiding in various pipe and holes. Others reported a conger free swimming through the wreck - maybe one of these was the culprit? More sealife on this wreck with a shoal of 20-30 wrasse about.

Dive 12: Coln
Max Depth 33.3m Time 34min Viz 8M

Question: How does a diver lose a 6,000 ton wreck when plonked directly above it by the skipper? Answer: You can't unless you completely stupid! Mmmmh! As the shot was gone from the previous days weather, Bob had to hand-shot the wreck himself. With the others descending down the line, we didn't want to touch the line in case it pulled the shot off the wreck. Unfortunately, both Steve and I had changed our config and were slightly under-weighted and had problems descending. As we got down, we descended, believing the other had sight of the line. But as the featureless silty bottom loomed up at us at 34m -Oops, no wreck!!! We fanned out with our torches on, guessed a bearing and started to Fin. Then after 1-2 minutes which seemed a lot longer the wreck appeared from nowhere - Phew! The wreck lies on its side and we were on the hull side so over the top at 20something m's. We cruised along the stern. Plenty of wreck to see and another big gun turret. As we worked out way along what would have been the ships rail and deck at 27m, I thought about my underweighting and scoured around for a few rocks for my BCD pockets. But what was I to find - pieces of coal. Pieces of coal on the deck? I think the story goes that Cox, the scrap-man who spend 20 years raising the German fleet nearly got his salvage efforts crippled by the high price of coal during the general strike of 1926. Ingeniously, he plundered the coalbunkers in the remaining wrecks. I guess the pieces of coal are a result of that salvage.

Dive 13: Gobernador Borries
Max Depth 18m Time 32min Viz 15M+

Into Burra Sound for our last dive of the week. Bob instructed us to be ready to dive at 1315 to get optimum slack. This was essential as a tidal current of upto eight knots runs through the sound. Get it wrong and its Greenland next stop! Some of our number had difficulty reaching the shot after they jumped in due to the still running current.
Going down the shot was a horizontal hard pull, but once down on the wreck you were quite sheltered. The Gobernador Borries is one of the collections of blockships that litter the entrance to Burra Sound. The most famous of which is probably the Inverlane as its hull rises proud on the surface. With the strong tidal current, all the sand and silt is washed away daily leaving a stony bottom and quite brilliant viz! We had read other dive reports of 25-30m viz, so when we got down we were a wee bit disappointed at the 15m+ viz. There's no pleasing us! Plenty of swim thru's and bits of wreck to potter around in out of the still slightly running current. The highlight of this dive was the wrasse.	Climbing back on Board the Sharon Rose
They do actually follow you around waiting for food. Picking up an urchin and just slightly tapping it with your knife puts the wrasse into a feeding frenzy - chumming for sharks off South Africa wouldn't get this sort of reaction. Feeding fish isn't something I normally would do but I couldn't help myself. Steve joined in the fun - but a serious glare from H, our wreck ferret queen was enough to say time to go home as slack waned on us. A very nice dive to round off the weeks diving at Scapa Flow.

Postscript:
My opinion of UK diving has been raised significantly. As we chugged back to Stromness for the last time, we discussed forgetting about next years trip on a Red Sea live-aboard and going on a Sicily Isles trip instead. But only so we'd have enough dosh for another week in Scapa.