Scarpa Flow Naval Museum and Naval Cemetery, Hoy Island, Scotland, 2013

8 May 2013

After a very early start we were drove to Houton to catch the car ferry across to Hoy Island so we could visit The Scarpa Flow Visitor’s Centre and the Naval Museum as well as the Naval Cemetery at Lyness.
(Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them.)

It was a tad chilly on the Ferry!

The wire is used as a submarine defence barrier.

The Museum Complex is just a few steps from the Ferry Port in the former oil pumping station at the  Lyness Naval Base. We absolutely enjoyed browsing around both indoor and outdoor displays of WW I and WW II paraphernalia as well as, spending  ages looking at the  a large photographic collection. It was very interesting hearing the story of the scuttling of the German Fleet at the end of WWI and the efforts to protect the British Fleet during WWII 

Fran with a Mine

Tom enjoyed looking at this machinery.

It took us a while to find the air-raid shelter  because it was covered with weeds but we persevered until we found it. All of us went down into the shelter and were surprised by its size.

As we wandered around the outdoor museum we were able to photograph the propeller from HMS Hampshire, which was mined off Orkney in 1916, with the loss of many lives, including Lord Kitchener. We were also able to see the guns salvaged from the German High Seas Fleet which was scuttled in Scarpa Flow in 1919.

Propeller from HMS Hampshire

Some of the exhibits are in displayed in an enormous old oil storage tank that has been restored an now displays among another things,  a search light, a bren–gun and  even a tiny boat that sailed to Orkney from occupied Norway!

Fran with the Searchlight

The Lyness Naval Cemetery, which was established in 1915, was next on our agenda. This cemetery became the final resting place for the naval personnel who lost their lives whilst on operations in and around the Fleet Base at Scarpa Flow.

It was very sobering walking around this beautifully maintained War Cemetery reading the  heartbreaking memorials on the graves of hundreds of servicemen who served on the ships in during  both WWI and WWII.  Many of the graves are of the officers and crew from the ships sunk locally, including HMS Hampshire, Vanguard, Narborough, Opal and HMS Royal Oak.

What was amazing were the number of WWI graves marked “Unknown seaman-known only to God”

Later we drove around this desolate, treeless island before heading back to the main island via the Hoy Ferry. As we drove home we passed through Stromness with its extremely narrow streets, on our way to the Ness Battery which is the only remaining intact shore battery. Although it was closed we were able to see much of it.

Narrow Street in Stromness

Stromness Battery