Sms Seydlitz: Bring Deeps, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Salvage Debris (20th Century), Battlecruiser (20th Century)
Site Name Sms Seydlitz: Bring Deeps, Scapa Flow, Orkney
Classification Salvage Debris (20th Century), Battlecruiser (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Ward Point; Point Of The Ward; Cava; Rysa Little; Holm Of Houton; Calf Of Cava; Seydlitz
Canmore ID 102287
Site Number ND39NW 8041
NGR ND 31907 98640
Datum WGS84 - Lat/Long
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/102287
- Council Orkney Islands
- Parish Maritime - Orkney
- Former Region Orkney Islands Area
- Former District Maritime
- Former County Not Applicable
ND39NW 8041 3189 9967
N58 52.2 W3 10.8833
NLO: Bring Deeps [name centred HY 300 022]
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 8001 Kaiser (battleship)
HY30SW 8003 Prinzregent Luitpold (battleship)
HY30SW 8005 Kaiserin (battleship)
HY30SW 8006 Karlsruhe (cruiser)
HY30SW 8013 Konig Albert (battleship)
ND39NW 8016 Derfflinger (battlecruiser)
HY30SE 8006 Baden (battleship: secondary location)
ND39NW 8045 Moltke (battlecruiser)
ND39NW 8049 Hindenburg (battlecruiser)
ND39NW 8050 Von der Tann (battlecruiser)
ND39NW 8051 Nurnberg (cruiser).
Formerly entered as Site No. 8827.
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 Cox and Danks, 1928. Noted as foul ground.
P L Smith 1989.
Listed among 'German salvage sites': scattered remains (including large mound of coal) noted at depth of 15-20m on seabed of shingly mud. [The cited location of ND 313 980 apparently refers to the island of Rysa Little rather than to that of the remains].
G Ridley 1992.
Horizontal Datum = OGB
Buoyage =
General water depth = 17
Circumstances of Loss Details
-----------------------------
The German battlecruiser SEYDLITZ was scuttled.
Surveying Details
-----------------------------
1919. A stranded wreck (6 metres high) is reported at 58 52 12N, 003 10 53W.
1924. The vessel was handed over to Messrs Cox and Danks.
1926/8. Salvage operations are taking place.
Report by King's Harbour Master, Scapa Flow.
10 August 1928. The blasting away of the upper works is still in progress. The hull has been rasied and was safely towed to Lyness Point on 5 December 1928
8 January 1929. The wreck has been moved further inshore, but it is yet ready for a sea voyage
26 April 1929. The SEYDLITZ will leave for Rosyth under tow on 30 April 1929 or the 1 May 1929.
16 May 1929. The vessel has been towed to Rosyth. The superstructure has been cut away and left behine. The wreck was first raised on 2 November 1928.
Source; Jutland to Junkyard by S C Heorge.
23 October 1939. The wreck's original position is now charted as a foul anchorage.
2 July 1980. The site is now charted as foul ground.
1 November 1982. Parts of the superstructure remain in this position. Together with salvage equipment, such as hoses and fittings. A heap of coal, estimated at 4000 tons, also remains on site. This is presumably from her bunkers.
Report by B Winfield, 25 October 1982.
Hydrographic Office, 1995.
Material reported under RoW amnesty (2001):
A2444 1 porthole: from seabed
A4267 1 telegraph repeater: from seabed.
[Tentatively associated with vessel: presumably from salvage site].
NMRS, MS/829/35.
Displacement: 24,610 tons (also cited as 25,000)
Length 606 ft (184.8m) (also cited as 656ft [200m] overall or 648ft [198m] waterline)
Beam 94 ft (28.7m) (also cited as 93ft 6ins [28.5m])
Draught 27ft (8.2m) (also cited as 28ft [8.5m] maximum or 26.5ft [8m] mean)
Propulsion: 27 Schultz-Thorneycroft boilers; two-stage Parsons steam turbines; 89700 (also cited as 63,000) shp; 4 (also cited as 3) screws; 27/30kts
Crew: 1068/1143.
Armament: 10 x 28cm (11ins: 50-cal: twin turrets); 12 x 15cm (5.9ins: 45 cal: single mountings); 12 x 86mm (3.4ins); 4 x 50cm (19.7ins) torpedo tubes (all submerged).
Armour: main (belt), 11 ins (28 cm); turrets 9.75ins (24.8cm).
This capital ship was built by Blohm and Voss at Hamburg as a development with higher freeboard of SMS Moltke (ND39NW 8045) and the name-ship (and only vessel) of the Seydlitz class. This design was designed for extreme strength, the raised forecastle being distinctive. Unusually, one of the main turrets was electrically (rather than hydraulically) powered.
She was laid down (as part of the 1910 programme) in February 1911, launched on 30 March 1912 and completed in May 1913. She entered service in 1914 as flagship of the High Seas Scouting Force, and took part in both the Scarborough raid and the Dogger Bank battle (January 1915). The ship was severely damaged at the Battle of Jutland (May 1916), sustaining 22 shell and one torpedo hits to take in 5000 tons of water and settle severely down by the head. She ran aground near the Horns Reef lightship and reached harbour only thanks to the effective use of comprehensive damage control procedures. She led the High Seas Fleet into internment, sank at 1350 GMT on 21 June 1919 and lay (exceptionally) on her starboard side in 70 ft (21.3m) of water. The port side thus projected about 25 ft (7.6m) above the surface, so that the wreck was frequently mistaken for an island.
The ship defied over forty unsuccessful salvage attempts and saw many of her fittings removed by the locals before being finally raised (using air lift techniques) by Cox and Danks in November 1929. The full coal bunkers of this ship provided essential supplies during the General Strike of 1926. Initially, the exposed side was stripped of 2000 tons of armour plate to lower the centre of gravity and make an immediate return. Failure of one of many repair-patches then caused the hull to fall back to the seabed, necessitating nine moths' extra work. The hull was divided between eight airtight compartments and new airlifts were fitted. Scrap iron (including boilers) and sandbags were added to replace the weight of the missing plate and return the hull to a more conventional (inverted) attitude, from which salvage was relatively easy. The hull was inadvertently raised while Cox was on holiday, but was lowered again so that he might be present when it 'officially' reached the surface (on 2 November 1928).
The ship was gutted at Lyness (the fore turret being removed at this stage) and the hull was towed to Rosyth for breaking by Metal Industries Ltd at the end of May 1930. Her final tow proved both difficult and protracted: she broke her tow in a gale, nearly sank, and snagged one of her sagging guns on the seabed, all before leaving Scapa Flow.
Substantial portions of the superstructure and a considerable quantity of coal remain on the seabed between Cava and Rysa Little.
The cited location of this wreck falls within an extensive area of foul ground between the islands of Cava and Rysa Little, and 1.1nm S of Calf of Cava light. The charted depth at this point is about 18m, and the seabed nearby is noted as mixed gravel, sand and shell.
This ship may be considered as falling within the Bring Deeps group of heavy ships, which were scuttled within the area defined by Holm of Houton [name: HY 315 029], Calf of Cava [name: HY 322 006] and Green Head (Hoy) [name: ND 303 993].
Bring Deeps may be understood as a south-eastwards extension of Hoy Sound. It has a generally flat bottom at a charted depth of between 35 and 50m; the seabed type is defined sparingly but is apparently sandy. An area of spoil ground is noted around N58 53.9 W3 12.2 [HY 30 01], and may attest to the former presence of the High Seas Fleet.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 6 January 2003.
H M Le Fleming 1961; D Van der Vat 1986; G Ridley 1992; R and B Larn 1998; S C George 1999; Jane [2001].
HO Chart 35 (1980, revised 1991).
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.
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 west of Cava. At the primary salvage site of Sms Seydlitz, sonar survey recorded debris (anomaly 18) on the seabed at a depth of 20 m. This site is noted as a popular dive site.
Information from Bobby Forbes (Sula Diving) 2006.
Reference (19 April 2012)
UKHO Identifier : 001058
Feature Class : Obstn
Obstruction Category : Foul ground
State : LIVE
Classification : Unclassified
Position (Lat/long) : 58.86973,-3.18248
Horizontal Datum : ETRS 1989
WGS84 Position (Lat/long) : 58.86973,-3.18248
WGS84 Origin : Original
Previous Position : 58.87000,-3.18138
Position Method : Differential Global Positioning System
Position Quality : Surveyed
Position Accuracy : 3.0
Depth : 16.4
Depth Quality : Least depth known
Water Depth : 18
Water Level Effect : Always under water/submerged
Vertical Datum : Lowest Astronomical Tide
Name : SEYDLITZ
Type : BATTLE CRUISER
Flag : GERMAN
Length : 199.9
Beam : 28.3
Draught : 8.2
Sonar Length : 250.0
Sonar Width : 70.0
Shadow Height : 2.0
Orientation : 95.0
Tonnage : 24610
Tonnage Type : Displacement
Date Sunk : 21/06/1919
Sonar Signal Strength : Moderate
Scour Depth : 0.0
Debris Field : WK IS AREA OF DEBRIS
Contact Description : Notable debris
Original Sensor : Reported Sinking
Last Sensor : Acoustic Sensor
Side Scan Sonar Survey (2013)
58 82.157N 3 11.042 W Diver surveys of this site were supplemented by side scan surveys completed as part of a training day.
Side Scan Data
The side scan images show a large quantity of wreckage comprising six prominent contacts, several lesser contacts and the remains of miscellaneous wreckage. This included a 14m long linear feature thought to be part of a mast or davit. One contact appears to have a raised feature that is in the area where there is thought to have been the remains of light armament. The main contacts are aligned east to west extending approximately 120m by 45m. There are numerous smaller contacts
outwith this. Most contacts are close to the seabed, with items standing at various heights between 1m and 2.5m proud of the seabed.
Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014
Project (2013 - 2014)
The Scapa Flow 2013 Marine Archaeology Survey Project, commissioned by Historic Scotland, undertook remote sensing surveys and archaeological diving evaluations at some of the sites within Scapa Flow, Orkney and at the Churchill Barriers.
The project aimed to establish or confirm the identification, extent of survival, character and condition of around 28 known but mostly poorly recorded First and Second World War wreck sites, 8 salvage sites, several sites thought to be associated with Second World War Boom Defences, and a limited sample of geophysical features identified in previous studies (Project Adair).
The work built on that of previous surveys including those completed as part of the ScapaMap Project (2001 and 2006) and by Wessex Archaeology Scapa Flow Wrecks Survey (2012), amongst others.
The project was completed by ORCA Marine and SULA Diving
Diver Inspection (2013)
58 82.157N 3 11.042W Diver surveys of this site were supplemented by side scan surveys completed as part of a training day. Six dives were completed on the site revealing the remains to be more extensive than anticipated based on the assessment of the MBES data
gathered during the ScapaMap project (http://www.scapamap.org).
Each of the six prominent contacts were targeted for diver surveys. The corroded, well broken up remains lie on a sand and mud bottom in 17m – 21m of water in an area of slight tide and have a light coverage of tall animal turf.
Contact 1: This was the crushed remains of a Normand style boiler on its side, associated with wood, a wire hawser with two pipes and valves. This boiler is believed to have been used as part of the salvage and is not part of the original wreck remains. Written records indicate that boilers waiting to be scrapped were taken from Lyness to prop up the Seydlitz during the salvage operations (Bowman 2002)
Contact 2: This was the remains of a large crushed water tank or pontoon which were associated with several large sections of wood remains. Several hawsers, anchor chains, ballast rocks, a hatch and a hatch cover with reinforcements were noted in this area. These could be the remains of an old barge also used in the salvage efforts. The timber may have used to seal the ship in the first salvage attempt, but these blew off when the salvage company first attempted to pressurise the compartments.
Contact 3: The remains of a small steel vessel, full of rock ballast visible through rotted decking were noted. This was associated with ribs, a keel and steel plating in the shape of a rounded hull. A large boom extends to the north of Contact 3. Close to this was a circular steel disc and a large pulley block with hook and wires.
Contact 4: The remains of a funnel, lots of funnel grating, large platform structure with rounded ends and wire hawsers were observed. There is a section of mast to the west of contact 4 which has the remains of a crows nest and a copper box protruding from the seabed.
Contact 5: The remains of a large circular feature with weight saving apertures, similar to the features observed at 102248, were recorded. This was associated with numerous pieces of funnel grating, pipework, wires and davit mast and stands proud of the seabed at a slight angle. This is interpreted as the remains of a second funnel.
Contact 6: An area of miscellaneous wreckage, including three copper search light irises and two small guns, one of which was in an emplacement Several abandoned creels and lines were observed within the debris – the lines being particularly prevalent around Contact 6.
Analysis
MBES surveys were completed over the salvage site of the SMS Seydlitz as part of the ScapaMap project). These surveys documented four distinct mounds oriented east to west covering an area of approximately 90m. Two of these sit approximately 50m apart to the north and to the south of the main debris scatter at the western end. There are two further mounds about 50m west of the main debris field which correlate to Contacts 1 and 2. The first three dives completed before the side scan surveys focused on the remains to the eastern end of the debris correlating with Contact 6.
Launched on 30th March 1912 and commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on the 22nd May 1913, SMS Seydlitz participated in several naval battles during World War I including the Battle of Jutland. The vessel was interned in Scapa Flow with other vessels in the German High Seas Fleet in November 1918 and was scuttled on 21st June 1919.
Cox and Danks made several unsuccessful attempts to salvage the remains attempting to raise the remains as they lay, by sealing several sections with patches and filling them with air to provide buoyancy.
Although initially successful, one of the pressurized bulkheads collapsed and the wreck once again sunk, turning turtle and settling in deeper water on the deck. Cox and Danks made a further 40 salvage attempts before the vessel was finally raised on 2nd November 1928. SMS Seydlitz was towed to Rosyth to be scrapped (Macdonald 1993).
Information from Annalisa Christie, Kevin Heath and Mark Littlewood (ORCA) March 2014
Multi Beam Sonar Scan (January 2017)
Diver inspection (date uncertain) and multibeam sonar survey in January 2017 recorded debris associated with the salvage of Sms Seydlitz at this location by Cox and Danks in 1928. The remains comprise dispersed wreckage from the ship’s superstructure including an 88m anti-aircraft gun with another partially buried gun nearby, and a crow’s nest probably from the forward mast. There is also evidence, particularly at the southern side of the wreck, of the salvage operations, including a concrete filled boiler, used to stabilize the wreck, and a feature which looks like a portion of a torpedo boat (possibly G38), also used to stabilize the wreck, or it could be a portion of the ship’s double bottom discarded during operations to open the hull up to recover coal and steel.
I.McCartney 2019
