The Grand Scuttle: The Sinking Of The German Fleet At Scapa Flow In 1919
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
On a June morning in 1919, one of the most audacious acts of mass naval sabotage in history unfolded in the frigid waters of Scapa Flow, Scotland, when German Rear-Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered the deliberate scuttling of 52 interned Imperial German warships — denying the victorious Allied powers their hard-won prize. The Grand Scuttle chronicles this extraordinary and largely forgotten episode of the First World War's aftermath, reconstructing the tense months of internment, the political machinations of the Paris Peace Conference, and the dramatic final hours aboard the doomed fleet with meticulous archival research and gripping narrative authority. Dan van der Vat, a seasoned naval historian, masterfully weaves together military strategy, international politics, and human drama to illuminate how an act of defiance by a defeated navy sent shockwaves through the post-war world order. His precise, authoritative prose gives voice to the sailors, admirals, and diplomats caught in the turbulent wake of the war's conclusion, drawing on sources from both sides of the North Sea. A remarkable and underexplored chapter of modern history, this account leaves the reader questioning whether von Reuter's final gambit was an act of treachery — or of honour.
Author: Dan Van Der Vat
Format: Hardback
Genre: Maritime history
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
On a June morning in 1919, one of the most audacious acts of mass naval sabotage in history unfolded in the frigid waters of Scapa Flow, Scotland, when German Rear-Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered the deliberate scuttling of 52 interned Imperial German warships — denying the victorious Allied powers their hard-won prize. The Grand Scuttle chronicles this extraordinary and largely forgotten episode of the First World War's aftermath, reconstructing the tense months of internment, the political machinations of the Paris Peace Conference, and the dramatic final hours aboard the doomed fleet with meticulous archival research and gripping narrative authority. Dan van der Vat, a seasoned naval historian, masterfully weaves together military strategy, international politics, and human drama to illuminate how an act of defiance by a defeated navy sent shockwaves through the post-war world order. His precise, authoritative prose gives voice to the sailors, admirals, and diplomats caught in the turbulent wake of the war's conclusion, drawing on sources from both sides of the North Sea. A remarkable and underexplored chapter of modern history, this account leaves the reader questioning whether von Reuter's final gambit was an act of treachery — or of honour.