Resupplying a postwar Scapa Flow base

If Scapa Flow remained a naval base after the nearby fuel terminal was sold, how could it be resupplied without a local heavy-airlift runway?

Continued use would require retained terminal rights or replacement infrastructure, with bulk fuel and stores arriving by ship and pipeline rather than air.

Continued use of Scapa Flow would depend on a full logistics system around the anchorage. The Royal Navy would likely preserve access to the fuel terminal through the sale terms or replace that capacity nearby. Kirkwall's runway could be expanded, and helicopter facilities would provide another transport link. Bulk refueling could not sensibly depend on airlift, so the discussion favors ships and pipelines. Large warehouses would also be needed, with underground construction and protection proposed for their stores. The expense and difficulty of maintaining that network in peacetime help explain why continued investment was difficult to justify even during the Cold War.