Scapa flow

[hoddized]

Hi,

Wasn't there a large British naval base at Scapa flow?

Höddi

[Balthagor]

Not sure, I'll look into it.
20241

[hoddized]

It looks like it was the main British naval base before and throughout the war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapa_Flow

[Aragos]

Yes, it was the main base in both World Wars. More so in WWI than WWII, but it was used extensively.

[rtscanada]

Yes please add Scapa Flow. It had a huge historical/military significance. I build it every UK game.

[Ruges]

I can confirm I sunk many British ships in Scapa flow in Silent Hunter.

[George Geczy]

Ah yes, Scapa Flow. Daxon and I did some research on this one during the Early Access Beta, it's an interesting topic with somewhat incomplete information available. By memory I can't remember our exact final decisions.

In general, some of the issues:

- Though Scapa Flow is often called a "base", it was actually more of a protected bay. Ships did not dock at piers (as in Pearl Harbour, etc)... instead, they anchored in the protected bay.

- In 1936, Scapa Flow had only minimal on-shore facilities for refueling or maintenance. Refueling capabilities were built up starting in 1938.

So in terms of 1936, Scapa Flow is a good place to "park" your ships, but it doesn't really qualify as a Sea Pier. I don't think it makes sense to put one there starting with the 1936 map.

So, what about 1940/1941?

I could see an argument for adding a Sea Pier (not port) at Lyness, the southern shore of Scapa Flow (mainland side), due to both the construction of the refueling facilities plus the construction of an air strip (RAF Grimsetter) at Kirkwall in 1940. Gun emplacements and other fortifications were also built after the 1939 raid by a German U-Boat on the bay.

For those interesting in reading the exciting history of Scapa Flow, here's some material:
http://www.charles-tait.co.uk/guide/ork ... lowwar.pdf

This actually provides the most detailed military history that I've seen, and I don't recall Dax and I finding this when we looked at Scapa Flow the first time:
http://www.scapaflow.co/index.php/histo ... war/lyness

I'll talk with Chris about adding events to have the UK build this area up from 1938 to 1942.