Sms Koln: Cava Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney

HY30SW 8010 3427 0167

N58 53.8667 W3 8.45

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 8011 Grosser Kurfurst (battleship)

HY30SW 8012 Friedrich der Grosse (battleship)

HY30SW 8014 Bayern (battleship)

HY30SE 8003 Frankfurt (cruiser: secondary location)

HY30SE 8004 Emden (cruiser: secondary location)

HY30SE 8005 Bremse (cruiser: secondary location).

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.

Formerly entered as Site no. 8856.

For sister ship SMS Dresden, see HY30SW 8002.

Remains at Scapa Flow.

P L Smith 1989.

KOLN. The wreck is lying on its starboard side. The middle section is well broken up but the bow and stern are mainly complete. Two turrets and capstans can be seen on the stern. The bridge and forward mast are recogniseable.A midships 150mm side gun is complete. Transits are given in the source.

Source: Butland & Siedlecki, BSAC Wreck Register, Scotland 1 1987.

Horizontal Datum = OGB

General water depth = 32

Orientation of keel/wreck = WNW/ESE

Circumstances of Loss Details

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The German minelaying cruiser KOLN was scuttled.

Surveying Details

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1919. A dangerous wreck is reported, with the least depth of 20.1 metres, at 58 53 52N, 003 08 27W.

6 November 1962. The salvage rights have been sold to Nundy Salvage Ltd.

28 September 1970. Salvage is to take place during the next five years.

21 October 1977. The salvage rights for the period ending 31 December 1982 have been sold to Scapa Flow Salvage Ltd.

20 August 1979. The site is to be salvaged by Underseas Associates Ltd. Source; Lloyd's List, 15 AUgust 1979.

20 October 1981. The lease on the salvage has been transfered to Clark Diving Services.

17 September 1985. The Ministry of Defence salvage leasing contract time has now expired. Ownership is to be transferred to the Orkney Islands Council.

Hydrographic Office, 1995.

(Classified as cruiser: date of loss cited as 21 June 1919). [SMS] Koln: this vessel was scuttled to the NE of the Calf of Cava.

Registration: German. 5531 tons dispacement. Length: 149m. Beam: 14m.

(Location of loss cited as N58 53.87 W3 8.48).

I G Whittaker 1998.

Linescan survey carried out by I Oxley, September 1999.

NMRS, MS/829/23.

In July 2000 a side scan sonar survey of the area of Scapa Flow in which the seven wrecks are situated was carried out in conjunction with a bathymetric and seabed classification survey using Echoplous equipment. In addition, detailed sonar images were obtained and geo-referenced so that exact co-ordinates of the extreme ends of each wreck structure could be obtained.

ADU, MS/5450.

Scheduled with SMS Dresden (HY30SW 8002), SMS Karlsruhe (HY30SW 8006) and SMS Brummer (HY30SW 8009).

Information from Historic Scotland, scheduling document dated 23 March 2001.

Material reported under RoW amnesty (2001):

A629 brass plate with handles and glass cross in centre: from seabed.

NMRS, MS/829/34.

Material reported under RoW amnesty (2001):

A1683 fire alarm: from seabed

A2084 lump of coal: from bunker

A2430 brass triangle: from seabed

A3027 1 lamp: from seabed.

NMRS, MS/829/35.

Material reported under RoW amnesty (2001):

A4510 brass and copper speaking tube with wooden plug, boiler room sight-glass cover surround, porthole, and electrical outlet socket.

NMRS, MS/829/77.

Length overall: 510ft (155.5m)

Length waterline: 491ft 4ins (149.8m)

Beam: 46.9ft (14.3m)

Mean draught: 21.1ft (6.4m).

Displacement: 5531 tons (also cited as 5620t standard; 7486t deep load)

Guns: 8 x 5.9 ins (15cm), 3 x 3.4 ins (8.6cm) AA

Mines: 200 [also cited as 120 in number]

Torpedo tubes: 4 x 23.6 ins (600mm: deck mounted) [also cited as six in number]

Armour: belt 2.4ins (61mm), belt 2.4ins (61mm), control tower 3.9ins (99mm).

Propulsion; hybrid coal/oil-fired (8 coal- and 6 oil-fired boilers); geared steam turbines; 2 screws; 31,000 hp (also cited as 49,000 nominal shp); 27.5 kts (design) 29.3 kts (trials)

Fuel: 1100t coal; 1050t oil

Range: 1200 miles at 27 kts

Complement: 559

This light cruiser ('Kleiner Kreuzer') was built by Blohm and Voss at Hamburg, and launched on 5 October 1916 as the first of the Dresden II class and also as a replacement for the earlier SMS Koln which was sunk at the Battle of Heligoland Bight (28 August 1914). Also apparently known as 'Koeln', 'Coln' or 'Koln II', she was completed in January 1918, joined the Second Scouting Group and saw service only patrolling the German Bight. In the mutinies of October 1918, her crew remained loyal, and put to sea to escape the unrest. The poor state of her condensers made her the last ship to be interned, as she reached the Flow with some difficulty.

Only Dresden and Koln of this class were completed during the war, and are primarily significant as the last class of light cruiser built in the First World War, demonstrating a continuing German interest in building surface warships even after failing to achieve breakout at the Battle of Jutland (May 1916). A class of ten ships was planned, two being completed, five scrapped after launching, and three scrapped on the stocks.

This class were slightly larger and more comprehensively equipped developments of the Konigsberg II class. Eight coal- and six oil-fired boilers delivered steam to two geared turbines, The cruising range was increased to 5,400 miles, higher than that of previous classes. Eight 5.9 ins guns were carried in single mountings, as were three 3.4 ins (8.6cm) AA weapons. Structurally, Koln was the first German warship to have the conning tower and its superimposed rangefinder within the bridge structure, aft of and higher than the command bridge. No underwater torpedo tubes were fitted in this class, all four being deck mounted. The same number of mines were fitted as in earlier cruisers.

This wreck is the most nearly intact of all the High Seas Fleet wrecks in Scapa Flow. When scuttled, the ship plunged stern-first and rolled to starboard to lie on her starboard side on a silty seabed in about 34m depth of water. Little salvage work has been attempted so that the ship's bottom remains generally intact, the intake-gratings being evident. The propellers and anchor have been removed and the hull has been broken open for salvage amidships; the weakened hull has partially collapsed around this area. The rudders are impressive and the masts are generally intact; most other fittings (including rangefinders, davits and the conning tower) remain identifiable. Other recognisable features and fittings include the shaft brackets and some of the gun mountings. There is a significant debris field around the wreck, which is frequently visited by recreational divers and fully described in various diving guides.

The wreck lies 1.2nm NE of Calf of Cava light, 0.65nm NW of the Barrel of Butter [name: HY 352 009], and within the relatively deep channel between Cava and the Barrel of Butter. It is charted (Wk) with a clearance of 19.8m above a seabed in a general charted depth of about 32m; the nature of the seabed is not indicated locally.

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].

(For sectional drawing of this class, see Smith 1989, 66. For block section and underwater artist's impression, see Macdonald 1998, 88 and 91 respectively).

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 8 January 2003.

H M Le Fleming 1961; D M Ferguson 1985; D Van der Vat 1986; P L Smith 1989; R Macdonald 1998; Diver 2000; [Jane] 2001.

HO Chart 35 (1980, revised 1991); NMRS, MS/829/23.

pp. 18-19, figs. 9a and b Klein 2000 sonogram (raw data and corrected)

p. 23, fig. 14 high resolution swathe bathymetry (colour)

p. 30, fig. 20 Reson SeaBat 8125 multibeam echosounder image

p. 30, fig. 21 Reson SeaBat 8125 multibeam echosounder image (grey-scale coded)

p. 31, fig. 22 Reson SeaBat 8125 multibeam echosounder image (colour coded)

p. 31, fig. 23 image captured by GeoZui3D visualiser, looking from bow to stern

p. 36, fig. 27 images captured by GeoZui3D visualiser, using Reson multi-beam data

p. 43, fig. 32 scale drawing of section along port side between bridge and bow

p. 43, pl. 9 mosaiced image from video footage of port side between bridge and bow (indicates structural deterioration)

pp. 44-5 survey results

pp. 44-5, pls. 10-13 illustrations of marine life (colour)

(unpaginated annexe) information from Dolphin Scuba Service

SMS Koln is the most nearly intact of the three surviving light cruisers, the only area of major structural deterioration being around the engine room. Active deterioration is also apparent at the bow, while significant deterioration of the port side plating is evident, particularly within an area forward of the bridge and around the forward gun turret [mounting]. Much of the surface of the wreck is encrusted with marine life, notably barnacles, hydroids and tunicates. Horizontal surfaces are generally covered by a layer of fine sediment with associated detritus feeders. Dense populations of brittle stars are found in some areas where a slight current sweeps over the upper surface of the wreck.

NMRS, MS/829/63

(Discussed in connection with Scheduling of wrecks in Scapa Flow: ScapaMap sidescan sonar image reproduced).

Source: 'Wrecks, divers and scheduling: the case of Scapa Flow, Orkney', article by O Owen in Nautical Archaeology, 2002.3.

MS/2745.

The bridge of this wreck has partly collapsed.

Information from Mr R Forbes (Stromness), 26 October 2004.