About The Scapa Flow Wrecks Project

The Scapa Flow Wrecks website has been an extensive project combining the latest web technology with careful research from the acknowledged experts in the history of Scapa Flow and its wrecks.

A centrepiece of the Scapa Flow Wrecks website is the interactive 3D shipwrecks of the seven remaining German High Seas Fleet wrecks. These allow the general public to delve beneath the surface, offering a unique and fascinating insight into the shipwrecks resting on the seabed of Scapa Flow today.

Firstly, 3D models of the ships had to be built from original plans and historic photos. These were then overlaid onto multibeam sonar scans of the underwater wreck sites. With help from local dive experts, the 3D models were carefully adjusted to reflect the changes that each wreck has gone through over the past 90 years. As a result, the 3D models now provide an accurate representation of the shipwrecks as they appear today; showing the decay of the structures as well as the destruction caused by mid 20th Century salvage operations. They are accompanied by a wealth of historical and diving information about each of the wrecks.

However, the site has much more than that. In addition to information on the German High Seas Fleet wrecks (including the salvage site of SMS Bayern), there is a listing of every shipwreck in Scapa Flow, with extensive details on many of them, including HMS Royal Oak, HMS Vanguard, the blockships and a score of others. Coupled with an account of Scapa Flow's history, and an overview of the wildlife to be found on the wrecks, this makes www.scapaflowwrecks.com one of the most comprehensive shipwreck websites that the world has to offer.

Project Contributors and Developers

Please contact the website administrator for any questions or issues regarding this website: webmaster@scapaflowwrecks.com