Other Dives in Scapa

Other than the ‘big seven’ there are plenty of other options for diving: Costal defence batteries were built and boom defences including anti-submarine nets were stretched over the entrances to prevent enemy vessels from penetrating Scapa flow. The use of old merchant ships were also sunk as block ships to prevent access through the channels.

James Barry

Steam Trawler
Formerly named Benella (Whittaker, 1998), the fishing vessel James Barrie ran aground at Lother Rock near South Ronaldsay on 27 March 1969. After being abandoned by the crew, it floated free two days later and drifted unmanned into the Pentland Firth. The lifeboat Grace Paterson Richie attempted a tow to Scapa, but the vessel sank at the entrance to Widewall Bay.Today, the wreck lies on its starboard side in 43 metres of water. While the propeller and most brass fittings have been salvaged, much of the vessel remains intact, including the anchor, masts, winch, and steam engine top. The James Barrie is a popular alternative dive site to Scapa Flow’s warships, offering a complete dive experience in a single descent. A very pretty dive covered in dead mans fingers, hydroids and plumose anemones. Shoals of caithe (Pollock), wrasse and cod can all been seen.

F2 and Barage (YC21)

Escort Boat
F2 was a German WWII escort boat, later given to Britain as reparations. Built in 1936, it was plagued by design issues and was converted to a torpedo recovery vessel in 1938. After sinking in a 1946 storm, the wreck remained largely untouched until 1967, when a salvage attempt failed after the barge YC21 sank in 1968. The F2 wreck now lies at 16m depth, with its stern upright and forward section on its side, featuring a gun, mast, and anchor cable. The YC21 debris rests about 100m southeast. You can see just about everything on this dive, cod, ling, small shoaling fish, conger and wrasse. It’s a great dive site for scallops, queenies, crab and the occasional lobster.

UB-116

Uboat
UB-116, the last U-boat sunk in British waters during WWI, was destroyed by shore-controlled mines in Scapa Flow on 28 October 1918, killing all 34 aboard. A diver later discovered civilian clothes and money onboard, suggesting a possible escape plan. Raised in 1919, it was scuttled in Panhope Bay. In 1975, an accidental detonation during salvage efforts caused a massive explosion due to live torpedoes, amusing rival diver Keith Jessop. Lying at 27m, the wreck is heavily broken and scattered, with visible hull sections, engine parts, brass fittings, and steel frames. The seabed is sandy with debris like a deck winch and scattered gear. The stern hydroplanes and various brass components remain, making it a picturesque dive. The shot line is near the upright conning tower. Often dived in slight current, offering good visibility, marine life, and drift opportunities. A whole array of marine life can be usually found here.

V83

Torpedo boat
The V-83 is an easy, shallow dive lying upright on a gentle slope, with a maximum depth of 15 meters at the stern. It gradually shallows toward the beach, where the wreck is more broken up. Built in Hamburg and launched in 1916, V-83 was a German motor torpedo boat destroyer in the VII Flotilla, active in English Channel night raids. During the German fleet's scuttling, she was seized by the British and beached next to G-92 at Rysa Little. An unsuccessful salvage attempt was made in 1926, and she remains in her original location. The wreck rests on an even keel with a slight port list. Conditions are usually calm, making it ideal for beginners. Highlights include a 3.4-inch gun pointing upwards and another amid wreckage further forward. Expect to see scallops, lobster, crabs, ling, conger, and wrasse. Sometimes a local seal colony often interacts with divers near the beach.

HMD Rose Valley

Steam Drifter
Built in 1918, HMD Rose Valley was a British steam drifter with a wooden hull and steel reinforcement. Hired by the Admiralty in 1939 to carry torpedoes, she was ordered to sink when engine room went on fire while carrying the torpedos on deck. The torpedos were salvaged the next day. Though occasionally visited by divers, the wreck was only charted in 2001 and lies east–west in 9–15m of water. The stern, engine room, and bridge are fairly intact, while the bow is heavily broken. Key features include a steel propeller, concrete ballast, a galley with a cooker, a ceramic toilet, a triple expansion engine, Scotch boiler, and a broken-up bow with a capstan drum winch.

SMS Bayern

Battleship Turrets
SMS Bayern, a German Bayern-class battleship, was launched in 1915, commissioned in 1916, and scuttled at Scapa Flow in 1919. Salvaged in 1934, her turrets detached and were later scrapped in Rosyth in 1935. Multibeam sonar and diver surveys as part of the ScapaMap project revealed turret remains on a muddy seabed (38–45m deep). The eastern turrets (Caesar and Dora) are largely intact, with visible internal mechanisms and accessible armoured gun houses. The western turrets (Anton and Bruno) were crushed during a failed salvage attempt; Anton lies horizontally with exposed machinery, while Bruno stands 3m proud with fewer visible features. Debris, chains, and coal surround the site. Small fish, conger and ling can all be found, an abundance of dead mans fingers, sea urchins, king and queen scallops along with crabs and lobsters.

HMS Roedean

Steam ship
Built in 1897 as Roebuck II for the Great Western Railway, this British steel steamship served as a Channel Islands ferry before being converted to a Royal Navy minesweeper in 1914. She sank on 13 January 1915 after dragging anchor in a gale and colliding with HMS Imperious in Longhope Bay. The wreck, partially visible post-sinking, was blasted in the 1950s to remove hazards, scattering debris. Lying in 8.8–15m of water, the wreck is oriented east-west with the boilers midships. The stern is more intact, while the bow is fragmented, surrounded by a large debris field with significant structural remnants to the north.

HMS Strathgarry

Steam Trawler
HMS Strathgarry, a former steam trawler hired as a boom defence vessel, sank after colliding with HMS Monarch in Hoxa Sound on 6 July 1915, with one crew member lost. Rediscovered in the 1990s, the wreck lies upright in 55–58m of water on sand and shale, with good visibility at slack tide. The hull is mostly intact, listing slightly to port. Notable features include a collapsed foredeck (likely collision site), four large winches, cable loops, wheelhouse remains with wheel and instruments, and intact stern components. A possible impact hole is visible near the bow. Scouring is present northeast of the wreck.

SMS Seydlitz

Battlecruiser
Launched in 1912, the Seydlitz fought in major WWI battles before being scuttled at Scapa Flow in 1919. Salvager Ernest Cox eventually raised her in 1928 after 40 attempts, aided by the ship’s coal stores during a miners’ strike. This shallow wreck is the salvaged remains of the WWI battlecruiser S.M.S. Seydlitz, ideal for those who enjoy exploring debris. Lying at 20–22m on a silty gravel bottom, the site features scattered wreckage, including anchors, guns, searchlights, and salvage equipment. Expect marine life consisting of shoals of saithe, conger eels, ling, lobsters, and the chance to drift for scallops.

Clestrain Hurdles

Barrier System
Installed during World War I, the hurdles were constructed to regulate shipping access to Scapa Flow. Historical photographs show that the structures remained visible above water at all tide levels. In 1920, an icebreaker reduced their height to improve navigability. Located mid-channel in an area of strong tides and currents, the hurdles remain challenging, though not impossible to navigate.

Along with diving, the lyness museum has a wealth of history and information surrounding Orkney and the war. Take a look through the Scapa Flow museum to see Orkneys military involvement in the first and second world wars and the major collections of wartime artefacts on show.

Scapa Flow Museum – Orkney Museums