WWI Naval History

Live tweets of the naval history of the First World War, one hundred years after it occurred.

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The last of the 70 German Navy ships arrive at Scapa Flow to be interned until conclusion of peace negotiations

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Upon confirmation the German fleet's guns have been disabled by removing their breech blocks, the ships are escorted to Scapa Flow (Pictured: light cruisers SMS Emden, SMS Frankfurt, SMS Bremse)

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With the German fleet anchored in the Firth of Forth to await disarmament checks before final internment at Scapa Flow, Adm Beatty orders the German ensign hauled down at sunset and not to be raised again without permission

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The German fleet under KAdm Reuter is met by light cruiser HMS Cardiff and escorted into the Firth of Forth, flanked by over 190 Allied ships

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German submarines begin to arrive at Harwich at be surrendered to RAdm Tyrwhitt of the Harwich Force

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KAdm Meurer meets with Adm Beatty; the number of German ships proscribed in the armistice are to be interned under their own crews at Scapa Flow, guarded by the Royal Navy, pending outcome of peace negotiations

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Transported by light cruiser SMS Königsberg, German KAdm Meurer arrives aboard battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth at Scapa Flow to arrange the internment of the High Seas Fleet

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Implementation of an armistice between the German Empire and the Allies; the terms specify the German Navy is to place 6 battlecruisers, 10 battleships, 8 light cruisers and 50 destroyers in internment in British waters and surrender all submarines

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Off Northumberland, British Q-ship Cymric fires on and sinks British submarine J6, after mistaking her hull number for U6

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Off Milos, French battleship Voltaire is struck by two torpedoes from German submarine UB-48, but is able to make temporary repairs and return to port

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A large wave drives the drifting HMS Otranto onto a reef near Machir Bay on Islay, where the violent storm waves demolish her; a handful of men manage to swim ashore, but approximately 470 are killed

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As HMS Otranto's engine rooms flood and the ship loses power, she is driven towards the cliffs of Islay; destroyer HMS Mounsey comes alongside and takes off approximately 600 crew and passengers, sustaining heavy damage in the process

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While escorting a convoy in a violent storm off Islay, armed merchant cruiser HMS Otranto (pic) collides with troopship Kashmir, which tears a wide hole in Otranto's hull

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Unable to return to Germany, the submarines UB-10, UB-40, UB-59 and UC-4 are scuttled off Zeebrugge and Ostende during the evacuation of those ports

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German torpedo-boats G41 and V74, under repair and unable to put to sea under their own power, are scuttled off Bruges during evacuations of the naval base

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Observing the clustered torpedo-boats, British submarine L10 fires a torpedo into S33, quickly sinking her; immediately after firing the submarine unexpectedly rises to surface, where she is chased down and sunk by V28 and V29

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While on patrol off Terschelling, German torpedo-boat S34 strikes a mine and sinks; fellow torpedo-boats S33, V28 and V29 begin rescuing her survivors

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With all Austro-Hungarian ships having fled, all shore batteries disabled and large portions of the port and town of Durazzo in ruins, the Allied bombardment ceases

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Austro-Hungarian submarine U-31 succeeds in torpedoing light cruiser HMS Weymouth, blowing off a large portion of her stern, before escaping Durazzo with submarine U-29 despite heavy damage from Allied depth charge attacks

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Austro-Hungarian destroyers SMS Dinara & SMS Scharfschütze, and torpedo-boat No. 87 manage to break out of Durazzo harbour and lead the Allied destroyer force on a brief chase before escaping with minimal damage