Sms V70: Gutter Sound, Scapa Flow, Orkney

ND39NW 8018 3130 9619

N58 50.8833 W3 11.4333

NLO: Gutter Sound [name centred ND 316 968]

Mill Bay [name centred ND 307 955]

Fara [name: ND 329 959]

Stromness [name: HY 253 090]

Scapa Flow [name centred HY 36 00].

For other ships within this group, see:

ND39NW 8009 V129 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8011 S136 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8012 G92 (destroyer: probable secondary location)

ND39NW 8016 S52 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8019 S53 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8020 G89 (destroyer: possible secondary location)

ND39NW 8021 S55 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8022 G91 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8023 S36 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8024 S32 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8026 G86 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8027 G39 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8028 G35 (destroyer: identity uncertain)

ND39NW 8029 S138 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8030 S53 (destroyer: identity uncertain and possible secondary location)

ND39NW 8031 G40 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8032 B110 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8033 B112 (destroyer: possible secondary location)

ND39NW 8034 B109 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8036 G104 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8037 G101 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8038 V83 (destroyer: secondary location)

ND39NW 8044 G103 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8053 B109 (destroyer: secondary location)

ND39NW 8055 S56 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8057 G38 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8058 H145 (destroyer: possible secondary location)

ND39NW 8059 B111 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8062 V127 (destroyer: possible secondary location)

ND39NW 8063 V126 (destroyer: secondary location)

ND39NW 8064 V125 (destroyer: secondary location)

ND39NW 8065 V82 (destroyer: secondary location)

ND39NW 8066 V81 (destroyer: initial location)

ND39NW 8068 V43 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8069 V100 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8070 V73 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8071 V80 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8072 S60 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8073 S51 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8074 S137 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8075 V128 (destroyer: doubtful location)

ND39NW 8076 V78 (destroyer: probable secondary location)

ND39NW 8077 S65 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8078 V46 (destroyer)

ND39NW 8079 V44 (destroyer: secondary location)

ND39NW 8082 G102 (destroyer: secondary location)

ND39NW 8083 S132 (destroyer: secondary location)

ND39SW 8002 V45 (destroyer: secondary location, probably formerly on ND39NW)

ND39SW 8005 S131 (destroyer: secondary location, probably formerly on ND39NW)

ND39SW 8012 S50 (destroyer: secondary location, probably formerly on ND39NW)

ND39SW 8013 S49 (destroyer: secondary location, probably formerly on ND39NW)

ND39SE 8003 S54 (destroyer: secondary location, probably formerly on ND39NW)

(All the above locations are apparently primary unless otherwise specified).

Formerly entered as ND39NW 8067 and ND39NW 8792 : location also cited as ND 3131 9618 [N58 50.88 W3 11.43].

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.

SMS V70: no. III flotilla, with S53, S54 (leader), S55, G91, V73, V81 and V82.

D Van der Vat 1986.

Raised by Cox and Danks, 1929.

P L Smith 1989.

Attributed to No. 3 Flotilla.

G Ridley 1992.

Horizontal Datum = UND

General water depth = 14

Circumstances of Loss Details

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

The German destroyer V70 was scuttled.

Surveying Details

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

1919. A dangerous wreck, with the least depth of 1.3 mwtres (the mast dries to reveal 0.3 metres), is reported at 58 50 53N, 003 11 26W.

1924. The vessel was raised and removed. It is afloat in Mill Bay, and at Lyness ready for breaking up.

1925. The greater part of the wreck was gutted.

1929. The vessel is beached in Mill Bay. The stern half of hull is all that remains.

Hydrographic Office, 1995.

(Classified as destroyer: date of loss cited as 21 June 1919). [SMS] V70. [Cause of loss not cited].

Registration: German. 1188 tons displacement. Length: 81m. Beam: 9m.

(Location of loss cited as N58 50.88 W3 11.43).

I G Whittaker 1998.

This vessel is considered a 'casualty' rather than a craft on account of its successful salvage, the available evidence being written rather than material. In the absence of diver survey, however, artifacts, fittings and, possibly, structural elements may survive on or in the seabed at the location of scuttling. Depressions in the seabed may also represent the locations of the turrets or superstructure.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 10 January 2003.

Length: 269ft (82m)

Beam: 27ft 6ins (8.4m)

Displacement: 924/1188 tons

Propulsion: steam turbines; 2 propellers; 23,500/25,5000 hp; 34/37 kts

Armament: 3 x 104mm (4.1in) guns; 4 x 60cm (19.7in) torpedo tubes; 40 mines

Complement: 85/110

SMS V70. This ship was built by Vulkan at Stettin, launched on 14 October 1915 and completed in 1916 as the fourth unit of the eighteen-strong V67 class (itself a variant of the S53 class). She was raised by Cox and Danks on 1 August 1924 and used as a swalvage hulk until scrapped in 1929. The cited location, which is apparently primary, of this vessel falls within the W side of Gutter Sound, 350m ESE of Point of Cletts, Hoy and NE of the broad entrance to Mill Bay.

This ship may be considered as falling within the Fara/Rysa (Gutter Sound) group of destroyers and torpedo craft, which were scuttled within the area of Gutter Sound [name centred ND 316 968]. This area of water may be understood as a narrow sheltered passage between the islands of Hoy, Fara and Rysa Little, to the W of the broad expanse of Scapa Flow. It has a level seabed at a charted depth of between 13 and 16m; the seabed type is indicated sparingly but is apparently a mixture of gravel, shingle and sand. Apart from the specifically-indicated wrecks, extensive areas of foul and spoil ground and numerous obstructions attest to the former presence of the High Seas Fleet. Wrecks (Wk or Wks) are noted at N58 50.3 W3 11.3 [ND 314 951], N58 50.75 [ND 310 959] and around N58 50.7 W3 11.5 [HY 312 958], the latter annotation having a buoy immediately to the W. Areas of foul ground are charted around N58 49.7 W3 10.5 [ND 321 939], N58 50.05 W3 10.9 [ND 317 946] and N58 51.l3 W3 10.7 [ND 320 969].

The recorded identical locations for ships in this group may reflect their being moored in trots.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 6 June 2003.

H M Le Fleming 1961; D Van der Vat 1986; S C George 1999; [Jane] 2001.

HO Chart 35 (1980, revised 1991).