The
scuttling of the German fleet took place at the
Royal Navy's base at
Scapa Flow, in Scotland, after the end of the
First World War. The
High Seas Fleet was interned there under the terms of the
Armistice whilst negotiations took place over the fate of the ships. Fearing that all of the ships would be seized and divided amongst the allied powers, the German commander, Admiral
Ludwig von Reuter, decided to
scuttle the fleet.