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Sms Bayern: Cava Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney

Salvage Debris (20th Century), Battleship (20th Century)

Site Name Sms Bayern: Cava Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney

Classification Salvage Debris (20th Century), Battleship (20th Century)

Alternative Name(s) Scapa Flow, No. 3 Buoy; Holm Of Houton; Calf Of Cava; 'bayern Guns'; 'bayern Turrets'; Bayern (Turrets & Wreckage)

Canmore ID 102166

Site Number HY30SW 8014

NGR HY 32285 01858

Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/102166

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

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Administrative Areas

  • Council Orkney Islands
  • Parish Maritime - Orkney
  • Former Region Orkney Islands Area
  • Former District Maritime
  • Former County Not Applicable

Archaeology Notes

HY30SW 8014 3153 0184

N58 53.9333 W3 10.8

NLO: Holm of Houton [name: HY 315 029]

Calf of Cava [name: HY 322 006]

Cava [name: ND 327 995]

Barrel of Butter [name: HY 352 009]

Point of Tuberry (Cava) [name: HY 334 993]

Stromness [name: HY 253 090]

Scapa Flow [name centred HY 36 00].

For other ships within this group, see:

HY30SW 8002 Dresden (cruiser)

HY30SW 8004 Konig (battleship)

HY30SW 8007 Markgraf (battleship)

HY30SW 8008 Kronprinz Wilhelm (battleship)

HY30SW 8009 Brummer (cruiser)

HY30SW 8010 Koln (cruiser)

HY30SW 8011 Grosser Kurfurst (battleship)

HY30SW 8012 Friedrich der Grosse (battleship)

HY30SE 8003 Frankfurt (cruiser: secondary location)

HY30SE 8004 Emden (cruiser: secondary location)

HY30SE 8005 Bremse (cruiser: secondary location)

Formerly entered as HY30SW 8703.

For general plans of High Seas Fleet (Internment Formation) wrecks in Scapa Flow, see Van der Vat 1986 (endpapers), Smith 1989, 4, Macdonald 1998, 19 and George 1999, 35.

Raised by Metal Industries, 1934.

P L Smith 1989.

'Bayern guns' listed among 'German salvage sites'.

G Ridley 1992.

Quality of fix = PA

Evidence = Divers Report

Horizontal Datum = OGB

General water depth = 35

Orientation of keel/wreck = EW

Circumstances of Loss Details

-----------------------------

The BAYERN was scuttled.

Surveying Details

-----------------------------

1919. A dangerous wreck with the least depth of 14.6 metres is reported at 58 53 56N, 003 10 48W.

8 October 1933. A request to purchase the BAYERN is received from Metal Industry Ltd.

4 November 1933. Salvage work is to commence.

14 December 1933. A fixed white light has been established to mark the site.

Report by Kings Harbour Master, Invergordon. A temporary Notice to Mariners 1993/33 was issued.

23 December 1933. More information is received about the light and salvage work.

Report by Kings Harnour Master, Invergordon. A temporary Notice to Mariners 13/34 is issued.

6 Septemner 1934. It is recommended that the area be charted as a foul anchorage.

Report by Kings Harbour Master Invergordon.

13 September 1934. A buoy has been laid.

Report by King Harbour Master, Invergordon. A temporary Notice to Mariners was issued.

9 April 1935. The BAYERN is now lying at Lyness awaiting towage to Rosyth.

Report by HMS SPEY.

7 September 1935. Mothing now remains at the BAYERN's fomer sunkend position except the gun turrets. The least depth is 27.4 metres.

Report by Kings Harbour Master, Invergordon 3 September 1935.

The temporary Notice to Mariners has been cancelled.

30 April 1981. 2 complete gun turrets and barbettes from the BAYERN, 'which overturned on being salvaged in 1935', have been located within about 9 metres of each other at 58 53 56N, 003 10 48W approximately. They stand upside down, but vertical, about 7.5-9 metres off the seabed in a general depth of 38 metres. The whole area around the turrets is littered with scrap and chain. The BAYERN had eight 15 inch guns in twin turrets, therefore it is possible 2 more turrets may be in vicinity. The site was located on 3 August 1978, when high water was at 3 metres, hence the site's general depth of 35 metres.

14 March 1985. The site was dived upon in 1984, and four complete turrets located, all completely upside down. They lie within an overall distance of about 80 metres on a roughly E/W bearing. They are in good condition. The gun barrels are buried. With extreme care access to the main turret area, which is below seabed level, is possible. A general depth of 40 metres was recorded on 14 August 1984.

Report by B Winfield.

7 August 1986. A second pair of turrets were located upside down at 58 54 01N, 003 10 39W.

Report by B Winfield, 26 July 1986.

Hydrographic Office, 1995.

(No classification specified: date of loss cited as 21 June 1919). [SMS] Bayern: onlu guns remain

Registration: German.

(Location of loss cited as N58 53.75 W3 10.75).

I G Whittaker 1998.

Material reported under RoW amnesty (2001):

A403 1 brass gun turret hand wheel: from seabed.

NMRS, MS/829/33.

Material reported under RoW amnesty (2001):

A1870 1 lamp and switch: from seabed

A3121 1 spanner: from seabed

A4146 copper voice pipe and warning notice (wording not cited: from seabed).

NMRS, MS/829/35.

The hull and superstucture of this wreck have been removed for salvage, but it is entered as a craft (rather than a casualty) on account of the remaining substantial turrets. The location of the second pair of turrets (N58 54.01 W3 10.65) converts to NGR HY 3216 0198.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 8 November 2002.

Length: 623ft 6ins (190m)

Beam: 99ft (30.2m)

Displacement: 28075 tons

Propulsion: Schulz-Thorneycroft boilers (mixed or hybrid coal and oil); steam turbines; 4 propellers; 52,800shp; 22 kts [noted by Jane as designed hp 34,000; 21 kts].

Armour: belt 13.75ins (350mm); turrets 13.75ins (350mm) [Different but unverified figures cited by Jane].

Armament: 8 x 38cm (15ins: twin turrets); 16 x 15cm (5.9ins: 45 cal: single mountings); 4 x 8.8cm AA (3.4ins: 45 cal: single mountings); 5 x 60cm (23.6ins) torpedo tubes

Complement: 1171/1271

This battleship was the first unit of the Baden class to be completed; SMS Bayern and SMS Baden were completed before the Armistice bur work on a further two hulls was suspended in 1917. The ships of this class were the heaviest in the High Seas Fleet, and they may be considered as 'super-Dreadnoughts' comparable to the British 'Queen Elizabeth' class on account of their main armament being heavier than the standard 30.5cm (12ins).

Bayern was built by Howaldt at Kiel, being launched on 13 February 1915 and completed in March 1916. She did not apparently see action at the Battle of Jutland (May 1916), and saw only minimal war service. When scuttled, she sank stern-first and rolled inverted.

This ship was raised by Metal Industries on 1 September 1933, compressed air being used to lift this, the biggest ship recovered from such a depth. Exceptionally, her violent and uncontrolled lift shook the four main turrets clear; these lie on and below the seabed and are regularly visited by recreational divers. In at least one case, tidal scour has worked the (solid) structure of the turrets and guns into the seabed to the level of the turret ring, leaving the open structure of the handling cage projecting to a height of some 3m.

The location cited lies 0.7nm N of Calf of Cava light and within an extensive area of foul ground in a general charted depth of about 30m. The charted [Obstn PA] with a clearance of about 25m probably represents at least one of the turrets. The nature of the seabed is not indicated locally but is evidently of varied composition.

This ship may be considered as falling within the Cava Sound group of heavy ships and cruisers, which were scuttled within the area defined by Holm of Houton [name: HY 315 029], Calf of Cava [name: HY 322 006], Barrel of Butter [name: HY 352 009] and Point of Tuberry (Cava) [name: HY 334 993]. Cava Sound (which is not noted as such on the chart) may be understood as a relatively deep eastwards extension of Hoy Sound, leading into the broad expanse of Scapa Flow. It has a generally flat bottom at a charted depth of between 30 and 45m; the seabed type is defined sparingly but is apparently of sand and stones.

Apart from the specifically-indicated wrecks, an extensive area of foul ground and numerous obstructions and wrecks attest to the former presence of the High Seas Fleet. The former is situated around N58 53.85 W3 11 [HY 31 01], while the latter form a broad band extending from E to W between about N58 53.8 W3 8.4 [HY 34 01] and N58 53.9 W3 10.8 [HY 32 01].

[Numerous published photographs (reproduced by George, Macdonald and Van der Vat) provide an exceptional record of the sinking, raising and cutting-up of this vessel].

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 8 January 2003.

H M Le Fleming 1961; Van der Vat 1986; D M Ferguson 1988; R Macdonald 1990; R Macdonald 1998; S C George 1999; [Jane] 2001.

HO Chart 35 (1980, revised 1991).

p. 17, fig. 8 Imagenex 858 sonar image

p. 24, fig. 15 swathe bathymetry (colour)

NMRS, MS/829/63

Activities

Multi Beam Sonar Scan (16 October 2006 - 20 October 2006)

Multibeam sonar survey on board MV Anglia Sovereign recorded the remains of the salvage sites of the German High Seas Fleet to the north and west of Cava. UTM 30N (WGS84 datum) X: 489769.63; Y 6528774.62. At the primary salvage site of Sms Bayern, sonar survey recorded (anomaly 8) a significant depression and debris in the seabed relating to the remains of the turrets from SMS Bayern.

Information from Bobby Forbes (Sula Diving) 2006.

Reference (2011)

Whittaker ID : 6999

Name : BAYERN

Latitude : 585345

Longitude : 31045

Registration : GERMAN

Loss Day : 21

Loss Month : 6

Loss Year : 1919

Comment : Only guns remain

Reference (19 April 2012)

UKHO Identifier : 001094

Feature Class : Obstn

State : LIVE

Classification : Unclassified

Position (Lat/long) : 58.89868,-3.17692

Horizontal Datum : ETRS 1989

WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 58.89868,-3.17692

WGS84 Origin : Original

Previous Position : 58.89857,-3.17748

Position Method : Differential Global Positioning System

Position Quality : Precisely known

Position Accuracy : 5.0

Depth : 24.0

Depth Method : Found by multi-beam

Depth Quality : Least depth known

Water Depth : 30

Water Level Effect : Always under water/submerged

Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide

Name : BAYERN (TURRETS & WRECKAGE)

Type : BATTLESHIP

Flag : GERMAN

Length : 189.9

Beam : 30.2

Orientation : 90.0

Tonnage : 28075

Tonnage Type : Displacement

Date Sunk : 21/06/1919

Contact Description : Notable debris

Original Sensor : Observed Sinking

Last Sensor : Acoustic Sensor

Original Detection Year : 1919

Last Detection Year : 2008

Original Source : Other

Last Source : Survey Vessel

Circumstances of Loss : **SCUTTLED.

Surveying Details : **H8464/19 DWP (1919), LEAST DEPTH 8FMS, SHOWN IN 585356N, 031048W, ON SURVEY [C 7953]. INS AS DWP 8FMS (1919). BR STD.

**H6229/23 13.7.23 INS ON NE 3729. NM TO BRING SCALES INTO LINE. - NM BLOCK 1523/23.

**H5326/33 8.11.33 PROPOSED PURCHASE BY THE METAL INDUSTRY LTD. (CP14816/33).

**H5326/33 4.11.33 SALVAGE WORK TO COMMENCE. (CP23104/33).

**H8579/33 14.12.33 FIXED WHITE LT IN AIRLOCK ESTABLISHED. (KHM INVERGORDON). - TNM 1993/33.

**H5326/33 23.12.33 INFORMATION RE LT & SALVAGE WORK. (KHM INVERGORDON). - TNM 13/34.

**H6073/34 6.9.34 POSN NOW RECOMMENDED TO BE CHARTED AS FOUL ANCHORAGE. (KHM INVERGORDON). AMENDED TO FOUL ANCHORAGE. - NM 1506/34.

**H6073/34 13.9.34 BUOY LAID. (KHM INVERGORDON). - TNM ISSUED.

**H6924/34 9.4.35 LYING AT LYNESS AWAITING TOWAGE TO ROSYTH. (HMS SPEY, CP7152/35).

**H3348/35 7.9.35 NOTHING REMAINS AT BAYERN POSN EXCEPT TURRETS. LEAST DEPTH 90FT. (KHM, 3.9.35). TNM CANCELLED.

**H4682/75 30.4.81 LOCATED 3.8.78 IN 585356N, 031048W. 2 COMPLETE GUN TURRETS & BARBETTES FROM THE BAYERN, WHICH OVERTURNED ON BEING SALVAGED IN 1935, WITHIN ABOUT 30FT OF EACH OTHER. THEY STAND UPSIDE DOWN, BUT VERTICAL, ABOUT 25-30FT OFF SEABED IN GEN DEPTH 125FT. WHOLE AREA AROUND TURRETS LITTERED WITH SCRAP & CHAIN. (REPORTS ATTACHED TO DOFC/SE LOOSE MINUTE, N/CP53529/75, 15.1.78). BAYERN HAD 8 X 15 INCH GUNS IN TWIN TURRETS, POSSIBLE 2 MORE TURRETS MAY BE IN VICINITY. CHART AS OB PA 25MTRS. BR STD.

**H1310/85/10 14.3.85 DIVED ON IN 1984. FOUR COMPLETE TURRETS LOCATED, ALL COMPLETELY UPSIDE DOWN. THEY LIE WITHIN AN OVERALL DISTANCE OF ABOUT 80MTRS ON ROUGHLY E/W BEARING IN GOOD CONDITION. GUN BARRELS ARE BURIED. WITH EXTREME CARE ACCESS TO MAIN TURRET AREA, WHICH IS BELOW SEABED LEVEL, IS POSSIBLE. (B WINFIELD). NCA.

**H1310/86/20 7.8.86 SECOND PAIR OF TURRETS LOCATED UPSIDE DOWN IN 585401N, 031039W. (B WINFIELD, 26.7.86). NCA.

POSITIONS BELOW THIS POINT ARE IN DEGREES, MINUTES AND DECIMALS OF A MINUTE

**SEP 2008/000060969 22.7.08 OBSTN 24MTRS IN 5853.921N, 0310.615W [WGD]. (ANGLIAN SOVERIGN M/B DATA, SCAPA FLOW 2008). CLEARLY FOUR TURRETS. AMEND OBSTN 24MTRS IN REVISED POSN. - NM 4577/08.

**7.10.10 EXAM'D IN 5853.9206N, 0310.6132W [WGD] USING DGPS. LEAST M/B DEPTH 24.68MTRS. (FATHOMS LTD, POST SDC BATHY REPROCESSING). NCA.

General Comments : FOUR TWIN 15 INCH TURRETS, ALL INVERTED

Side Scan Sonar Survey (2013)

58 53.921N 3 10.615 W Diver surveys of this site were supplemented by side scan surveys completed as part of a training day.

The side scan image show two pairs of circular contacts which are spaced 56m apart and aligned east to west. The two circular contacts to the west are more broken down than the two to the east which are intact. These contacts are interpreted as being four barbettes which form the lower part of a battleship gun turret. On the two western turrets the aft part of the armoured gun house is visible. There is a debris field between the two sets.

Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014

Diver Inspection (2013)

58 53.921N 3 10.615 W The remains lie on a mud bottom in 38m – 45m of water in an area of slight tide.

The eastern turrets (known to be the remains of Caesar and Dora) are well

preserved though there is moderate coverage of short and tall animal turf and evidence of some corrosion. Several portions of line (likely from previous shot lines) as well as pieces of old fishing gear are attached to/entangled within the remains.

The remains stand approximately 8.3m proud of the seabed. At depth the remains of various hand wheels, machinery, transformers, electronics and electrical wires are visible including: a training pinion, central ammunition hoist press, gun loading hoist press, gun loading tray, and main hydraulic exhaust tank amongst others. The ball bearing centring ring in situ and are very well preserved (Bagnasco and deToro, 2011; van der Vat, 1986; Friedman, 2011; Gardiner, 1992 and Roberts, 2010). Close to inner of the two eastern turrets (Caesar) there is a section of mast. It is possible to enter the armoured gun house near to the seabed and see the inside of

some features of the turret that are subsurface externally. This reveals the breach of the gun and gun mount. The firing mechanism has been removed as per the conditions of the internment (van der Vat, 1986)

Similar features are visible on the outer of the two intact turrets. There is some miscellaneous debris between them.

The western turrets (Anton and Bruno) have sustained more damage – the result of a failed first salvage attempt in 1934 – where the wreck lost buoyancy and sank to the seabed crushing this set of turrets.

The barbette of the outer of the two turrets (Anton) has been pushed over to the west and the remains now sit horizontal to the seabed. Various bits of machinery, electronics, wires and piping required to work the turrets are visible including the central hoist, cordite waiting trays, gun loading cage and top pulley of the gun loading cage lifting wire. The ball bearing centring ring appears to have been damaged when the turret was crushed. To the east side of the turret there is a hatch where it is possible to see within the armoured gun house. There is a heavy chain lying across the aft part of the barbettes, but this would not have been part of the original structure. Additional portions of heavy chain are found to north of the turret

The inner of the two turrets (Bruno) to the west stands approximately 3m proud of the seabed. Much of the structure visible on the other turrets is not present on this part of the site, although the ball bearings are clearly indicated. Another hatch is present and has a ladder leading into the armoured gun house. This is surrounded by several pieces of coal.

There is a davit on the seabed to the south of this inner turret.

Analysis

MBES surveys were completed over the salvage site of the SMS Bayern as part of the ScapaMap project (http://www.scapamap.org). These surveys documented a pair of depressions from where the ship lay; debris, and the remains of four turrets which broke free of the ship during the salvage operation in 1934. A German Bayern-class Battleship, the Bayern was launched on the 18th February 1915 and commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 15th July 1916. The vessel was interned in Scapa Flow with the majority of the German High Seas Fleet in November 1918 and was scuttled on 21st June 1919. The remains were salvaged in September 1934, during which time the turrets broke free of the ship. These were

towed to Rosyth and were scrapped in 1935.

Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014

Multi Beam Sonar Scan (January 2017)

Multibeam sonar survey in January 2017 and previous dive inspection (2013) recorded a deep double seabed depression and evidence of four surviving turrets associated with the scuttling and primary salvage of Sms Bayern at this location by Metal Industries Ltd in 1934. The easterly pair of turrets are more intact and rise 13 metres from the seabed. Of the westerly pair, 'A' is well buried forward and has much collapsed debris from the turret's inner structure lying on top of it. For some reason, the top of 'B' turret is cleaner. It is clear that when the bow section of the ship had to be re-sunk in August 1934, it landed on A and B turrets and crushed the shell hoists and inner platforms. Between the pairs of turrets is an area of wreckage including a large section of the tripod mast with a compass platform attached to the mast leg, and the possible remains of a docking telegraph.

I.McCartney 2019

References

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