SCAPA 100
Mini to Kirkwall from Stromness and trying to get it into a specific parking spot : no mean feat ( my daughter struggles most days ).
In short , the designers maximised the amount of ordinance that could be rained down on the enemy through maximising the number of guns that could be brought to bear , their rate and arcs of control , and the shells fired .
Guns fired in anger at the Battle of Jutland are within reach for most experienced UK divers . Most of their adversaries are 80miles west of Denmark in technical depths and blown to smithereens . A dive to the stern of the Kronprinz Wilhelm allows you to see both the breach and the muzzle of several guns . As the battleship turned turtle as it sank , the anchor chain wrapped over the forward gun barrels and the force ripped the roof off the turret , exposing the innards .
Much of the shell handing mechanism is in plain view , and the distinctive breach open to the sea . This is a view that few people ever see , a seat at the sharp end of the First World War . In the calm depths of Scapa , it is easy to imagine the chaos and noise that a salvo would have generated .
DEFENCE The second design criterion was defence . Those mighty 12inch guns fired from behind a thick steel protective shield in anticipation of receiving a fury equal to the one being unleashed . Imagine a medieval fort with guns in the ramparts and the explanation somehow continues to work . However , the battlement is now 12inches thick hardened steel ( in places ) and forms a box ( or more precisely , an ‘ armoured citadel ’) around the soft belly of the ship . Within this defended torso was the machinery , shells , cordite and other vulnerable components of a fighting ship .
Set in the armour were seven 15cm ( 5.9 in ) SK L / 45 quick-firing guns on each side , a secondary armament designed to combat smaller ships attacking at closer range . These guns could fire a smaller 45kg shell at up to seven rounds per minute over a range of 14,000m . They were mounted in an armoured casemate , like a curved shield , so the protection moved in accord with the aiming of the gun , thus presenting an uninterrupted wall of steel to attackers .
When seen today , these guns provide important signposts helping us to navigate the length of the wrecks underwater . The guns themselves are essentially the same as the main armament on the smaller cruisers . After a week of diving in the Flow , their shapes become both distinctive and easily recognisable underwater . Swimming the ‘ gun run ’ is a well-worn refrain in Scapa and part of every pilgrim ’ s route , a journey that leapfrogs the seven casemates on each open side of the battleships .
MACHINERY To complete the description , we need to consider that everything mentioned up to this point now has to go to sea , so was set inside the body of a ship . The armoured citadel was rounded off to form a bow and stern . Two rudders directed the water from three propellers capable of moving the ship at a top speed of 21 knots . The main propulsion plant was the technologically advanced and ( then ) recent innovation of turbines powered by steam from 15 boilers .
The machinery formed an integral part of the ships ’ design consideration . Speed was an important component of attack . In contrast , more armour added weight and slowed the ship down , despite giving greater protection . As each component was added , so it influenced the fighting capacity of the ship . Such compromises shaped the ships that we explore in the water today , and some knowledge of the rationale behind the design choices forms the foundation for understanding these wrecks . As divers , we see turbines rather than reciprocating engines , we see guns behind walls of steel . The more we understand before entering the water , so the more we see when we unravel the puzzling wreckage in our mind ’ s eye .
The passage of time
Once the battleship as a machine is understood , the journey can then switch focus to tell the story of their brief lives .
Left : The massive propeller shafts on the Markgraf span the blast hole around the engine room
Right : A diver peers into a large turbine from the Konig
Top right : The machinery on the ships was advanced for its day , as illustrated by this exposed turbine on the Karlsruhe
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