Scuttling of the German Fleet

Date: June 21, 1919 • Location: Stromness, United Kingdom

Admiral Ludwig von Reuter scuttled the German High Seas Fleet in Scapa Flow to prevent the ships from being seized and divided amongst the Allied Powers.

Hans Hermann Ludwig von Reuter was a German admiral who commanded the High Seas Fleet when it was interned at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands at the end of World War I. On 21 June 1919 he ordered the scuttling of the German fleet at Scapa Flow to prevent the British from seizing the ships.