Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered the interned fleet scuttled after seven months at Scapa Flow. German crews had quietly prepared ships by opening bulkheads, disabling the means to close valves, discarding tools, and placing charges. With most of the British fleet away on exercise, von Reuter acted after the treaty negotiation deadline seemed to pass without news of its extension. British personnel saved a handful of cruisers and destroyers, but 53 ships sank and nine German sailors were killed during attempts to halt the scuttling. Those deaths may count among the last casualties of World War I, depending on how the Russian Civil War and the later world war are periodised.
Chapter · 26:01-29:59
The scuttling of the High Seas Fleet
In June 1919, Ludwig von Reuter scuttled most of the interned High Seas Fleet after a treaty deadline passed amid confused information.