SMS König
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After
the armistice 11.November 1918 between Germany and the
Entente,it was decided that the German navy should be
interned in Scapa Flow. The fleet with 5 battle cruisers,
11 battleships, 8 cruisers and 50 destroyers and other
smaller vessels arrived Scapa Flow 25.November 1918, and
occupied the whole area from Hoy Sound and all the way
down to Lyness. The German fleet was guarded by Grand
Fleetbased in Scapa Flow. While the peace negotiations
went on, the Germans began to be suspicious that the
British wanted to confiscate their fleet. 21. June 1919,
the commander Ludwig Von Reuter issued the order to launch
"Paragraph 11", the code for the fleet to be scuttled.
Within a few hours the whole German fleet disappeared in
the deep, with exceptions of a few units that the British
navy managed to put ashore. Most of the wrecks were raised
or scrapped in the years to follow,and König was heavily
damaged during salvage work.
Her remains rest today upside down on a depth of 20 to 40
meter northeast of Cava. Also
read about the fates of Brummer, Cöln,
Dresden,
F 2, Karlsruhe, Kronprinz Wilhelm, Markgraf, V 83 and the salvage barge YC-21.
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| GPS: 58°53.13 N 3°09.07 W ( Source: Scapa Flow Wrecks )  One of the four German König class dreadnought's Courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command |
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