Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:38:24-4:39:54

If the scuttled German fleet reappeared in 1939

The proposed response is to scrap the recovered German fleet for material, avoiding the burden of operating its unfamiliar machinery.

Alternate HistoryGerman High Seas FleetNaval Industrial BaseRoyal NavyScapa FlowShip BreakingWorld War II
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Question

What would the Royal Navy do if the remaining scuttled German fleet suddenly resurfaced in 1939?

Short answer

Scrap it for steel rather than bring unfamiliar German machinery into Royal Navy service.

Notes

The counterfactual returns the German ships still lying at Scapa Flow to pristine condition on 13 October 1939. Scrapping them is preferred to bringing their unfamiliar engines and systems into Royal Navy service. Their steel could then support new construction. A suggestion that their armor remained valuable meets the objection that British assessments already placed it behind contemporary British plate during the First World War. The recovered hulls would supply raw material for new construction.