£14.99
Edited by Simon Mills
Wordsmith Publications • ISBN: 1899493042


While not geared specifically towards diving the remains of the German fleet, this book offers a fascinating perspective on the original scuttling in 1919. The core of the book is devoted to a first-hand account by the man who gave the orders to scuttle the interned fleet, Vice-Admiral Ludwig von Reuter.  

Von Reuter is remembered as the only admiral to have sunk his own fleet, and here he explains the background and execution of one of the most extraordinary actions to have taken place in naval history.

Originally published in German in the 1920s, this translation exudes a frosty Prussian stiffness and dislike of the British. It's fascinating to read the German take on the scuttling, and Von Reuter's evident pride in putting his fleet beyond the reach of his enemy. The British authorities were outraged at what they denounced as treachery, but with the benefit of hindsight, it was an understandable course of action that should have been anticipated. By Simon Rogerson