Everything Everywhere Daily · Monday, August 31, 2026
Following World War I, 52 German High Seas Fleet ships were scuttled at Scapa Flow. While much was salvaged, the remaining wrecks became a historical source of low background steel, protected underwater from cosmic radiation, although destructive salvage was eventually restricted.
“In 1919, after the end of World War I, 52 ships from the German Navy's High Seas Fleet were scuttled there.”
“Much of the fleet was salvaged for scrap during the 1920s and 30s. But the surviving wrecks became historical and diving sites, and destructive salvage operations were increasingly restricted.”