SMS Markgraf
Scapa Flow · United Kingdom
SMS Markgraf is a 25,796-tonne König class battleship lying upside down at 45 metres in Scapa Flow's Gutter Sound. On 21 June 1919, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered the interned German High Seas Fleet to scuttle rather than surrender, creating the world's largest deliberate naval sinking. At 175 metres long, the wreck fills multiple dives: twin rudders stand tall at the stern, an anchor chain wraps the inverted hull, and the intact bow rises from the seabed. Conger eels, pollock, Atlantic cod and European lobster colonise every overhang. The deepest sections exceed 45 metres and require extended range or technical certification.
Conditions
Depth
24 to 47 m
Advanced depths
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
12 to 20 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
7 to 14°C
Drysuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Vis (m) | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 6 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Pollock
Last confirmed May 5, 2025 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Conger Eel
Last confirmed May 5, 2025 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
European Lobster
Last confirmed May 5, 2025 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Edible Crab
Last confirmed Apr 8, 2026 · 3 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Plumose Anemone
Last confirmed May 5, 2025 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Atlantic Cod
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear
Basic kit
For this site
- Drysuit · Water temperatures of 7–14°C year-round make a drysuit essential; any wetsuit is deeply uncomfortable at depth.
- Extended-range or technical kit · Maximum depth of 47 m exceeds recreational limits; appropriate certification and gas planning required.
- Surface marker buoy (SMB) · Open-water ascents in a busy anchorage require a highly visible SMB for boat traffic safety.