Scapa Flow Map

Explore Scapa Flow with this interactive map.

There is a special charm to Orkney. Visitors are immediately captivated by the islands' beauty and welcoming atmosphere. Rugged moorland and lush pastures are surrounded by a seascape which conceals centuries of fascinating history.

The Admiralty used Scapa Flow as its principal naval anchorage throughout World War I and World War II. Although warships rarely visit Scapa Flow today, some remain beneath the surface. These wrecks offer a poignant reminder of the harsh realities of war. Furthermore, some of them offer the greatest wreck diving the world has to offer.

Travellers crossing the Churchill Barriers – which connect the Orkney Mainland to the islands of Burray and South Ronaldsay – can still see blockships protruding above the water. The vessels rest a mere stone's throw from shore and are a defining image of Orkney today.

Above water, the striking Orkney landscape is also scattered with wartime remains. Coast gun batteries and searchlight emplacements stud the coastline of Scapa Flow. There are many museums and heritage centres, including the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre & Museum, at the former pumphouse of the Fleet HQ at Lyness, Hoy.

Historic Maps of Scapa Flow - click to enlarge

These historic maps show Scapa Flow between 1915 and 1943.

One of the maps show its defences at a point in time during World War I and another details the defences mid-way through World War II. There is also a 1919 map which lays out the uses to which the different areas of Scapa Flow had been put during World War I.

Another of the maps is a hydrographic chart, created between the wars, which shows the locations of a number of the German High Seas Fleet wrecks.