'German Battle ships and Light Cruisers at Scapa' RMG PW1759

German battleships and cruisers at Scapa
Inscribed, as title, and signed by the artist, lower right. Scapa Flow, a natural expanse of sea enclosed by the Orkney Islands, was the designated anchorage of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet during the First World War. With the beginning of the war, defences were created to prevent German U-boat attacks. Following the armistice in November 1918, 74 ships of the German Navy were escorted there after their formal surrender in the Firth of Forth on 21 November. They remained at anchor there for six months while food and other supplies from Germany ran low. When the local German commander, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, became aware in May 1919 that the Allies' peace terms might lead to them sharing out his ships for their own navies (though Britain wanted them destroyed), he decided to scuttle the German fleet while the Grand Fleet vessels guarding them were out on a day's exercise. He did this on 21 June and while the British managed to beach 22 to prevent total sinking, all were in effect destroyed. All save eight (which were too deep) were only salvaged over following years for scrap and, in a few beached cases, refloated as gunnery targets. When von Reuter returned to Germany he was regarded as a national hero for saving the honour of the German navy.
The ship left of centre here appears to be a 'Kaiser'-class battleship. The three-funnelled cruiser to right of centre is either 'Brummer' (1915) or 'Bremse' (1916). The three- funnelled cruiser beyond her is the 'Frankfurt' (1915) and the remaining cruisers are from the 'Emden' (1916) or 'Dresden' (1917) classes.
At the time of the German fleet's surrender and internment Wyllie was the guest of Admiral Sir Charles Madden on board the battleship HMS 'Revenge'. He stayed for a month, producing watercolours such as this. At the time of the German fleet's surrender and internment Wyllie was the guest of Admiral Sir Charles Madden on board the battleship HMS 'Revenge'. He stayed for a month, producing watercolours such as this. He also taught the admiral's son, Charles, then aged thirteen, to paint in watercolour. The latter became an admiral like his father, and was an artist in watercolour and Chairman of Trustees of the National Maritime Museum, 1972–77.

German Battleships and Cruisers, Scapa