Orkney Isle

95 feet below the surface of Scapa Flow in Orkney, an aiming turret for the forward deck guns of the 5,500-ton light cruiser Dresden looms out of the darkness. The Dresden, pictured in the upper left, was part of the German Imperial Navy, impounded in Orkney after the First World War. In the early morning of June 21, 1919 the commanding officer of the fleet gave orders to scuttle the ships in Scapa Flow and within a few hours 74 great warships had slipped below the icy waters. Today I made two dives on the wrecks of these ships and brought up video footage that I shared with the guests in the lounge. Using video and other new technology to bring the underwater realm back into the comfort of our lounges is a new initiative on Lindblad Expeditions and one that is particularly exciting for me. It was a remarkable experience to take a look at this historic fleet and to remember the fascinating history of their scuttling in the cold waters of these northern isles.