Scapa Flow Museum

World War II – Fleet in Action Panel from temporary exhibition at the Scapa Flow Museum. The text, with extra images, are featured in this blog. Arctic Convoys Russian destroyer, Kola Inlet, Russia, February 1944. Scapa Flow’s role as a major naval base was restored during WW2. As the Royal Navy’s main fleet anchorage it […]

World War II – HMS Proserpine: Service Life at Lyness Panel from temporary exhibition at the Scapa Flow Museum. The text, with extra images, are featured in this blog. Scapa Flow was home to thousands of navy and military personnel during WW2. Some loved it and some loathed it, but for most it was an

World War II – Local Life The Orkney Blast  During the war various small newspapers were produced by different units, aimed at a limited audience. By 1945 these included a WRNS magazine, Hoy Polloy.  The Orkney writer, Eric Linklater, who was serving as a Royal Engineer Major in Orkney and Shetland Defences (OSDef), had the

World War I – Battle of Jutland Panel from temporary exhibition at the Scapa Flow Museum. The text, with extra images, are featured in this blog about the Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland – 31st May to 1st June 1916 The Battle of Jutland in 1916 was the greatest naval engagement of the

World War I – HMS Hampshire Panel from temporary exhibition at the Scapa Flow Museum. The text, with extra images, are featured in this blog. A few days after returning from the Battle of Jutland, HMS Hampshire was sunk when she hit a mine off Marwick Head on 5 June 1916. Among those lost was

World War I – Air and U-Boat Panel from temporary exhibition at the Scapa Flow Museum. The text, with extra images, are featured in this blog. The Royal Navy built air stations and kite balloon stations to provide the Grand Fleet with aerial intelligence. Houton Air Station, with the interned German Fleet in the distance.

World War I – Vanguard, Opal, Narbourgh Another tragedy struck the fleet at Scapa Flow the following year. On 9 July 1917 HMS Vanguard was lost when her magazines exploded whilst the ship was peacefully at anchor. 843 men lost their lives. The launch of HMS Vanguard, 22nd February 1909. HMS Vanguard, a 19,560 ton

World War I – Introduction Map of Scapa Flow by Murdoch Mackenznie, 1750 Scapa Flow consists of 125 square miles (324 square kilometres) of water surrounded by islands. Used as a safe anchorage since Viking times, its military use began during the Napoleonic Wars. The Vikings named it Skalpaflói – the bay of the long

Images of War [Author: Rachel Boak, Curator] Some of the paintings or works by the same artists are on the Art UK website. Art UK is the online home for every public art collection in the UK. It is a charity and makes art available for everyone – for enjoyment, learning and research. See https://artuk.org/