Kronprinz Wilhelm

12 inch gun at the Kronprinz (low res)

Dive around the Kronprinz (low res)

The Kronprinz only saw two actions.

She took part in the Battle of Jutland. She was in the 3rd battleship squadron and fired many shots on the British battleships.

In November 1916 she took part in a rescue operation off Denmark. The aim was to tow the aground U boat U-20 which had torpedoed the Lusitania. The exercise failed, but on the way home the Kronprinz was hit and damaged by a British torpedo. She limped home and remained in port. In 1917 she took part in fleet manouevres off Heligoland Bight. Both the Kronprinz and the Grosser Kurfurst were involved  in a collision which called for extensive repairs.

Towards the end of the war she got mixed up in the German Fleet's mutiny and got sent to Kiel when the Fleet got dispersed. It is thought that experience of the British fleet's firefight at Jutland directed at the feisty Koenig ships made the crew realise their possible mortality and insecurity even in boats as powerful as these. During November 1918 the Armistice was signed and the ship was subsequently sent to Scapa Flow. She sank just after 1.00pm on 21st June 1919.

The Kronprinz is at 58.53.39 : 03.09.46. The sea bed is about 38 metres down in cool, green Scapa water. She lies on her starboad maindeck with most of her superstructure embedded in the silty bottom. She is virtually upside down and the only access to her decks is from the port side at a depth of 30m plus. The highest point of her upturned keel is about 12 metres from the surface.

The first impression when you dive her is size and confusion. This wreck is enormous and the profusion of steel, wreckage and general debris is overpowering. Her hull, however, is relatively smooth and uncluttered. Rather like a steel platform that has been well colonised by encrusties and brittle stars. There are four bilge keels that stand out quite nicely and give the diver some navigation marks. In places, the hull has been shattered by salvage work. The bow and stern both have salvage holes as does a large area some two thirds away towards the stern.

To get the most from this wreck you must get to the sea bed and work on alongside or in. This means that you have to descend off the port side of the hull. This is a thrilling experience as you drop off into the gloom and pass by the tangled wreckage on the way down. At about 30m you arrive at the gunwales and you can then peer in as the deck runs at an angle to the seabed. It's dark, exciting and tantalising. So many shapes, but what are they? Much of the superstructure is buried, but towards the stern the turrets of the most aft guns can be found. To do this means entering a cave, with the deck the roof and the seabed the floor. If you are the first dive team there, then the guns can be clearly seen - a superb sight. They are upside down, the most aft barrels sticking in the deck. To see them closer means entering the cave and that's when you need to be careful. The silt stirs up quickly and without an attached reel it's easy to lose your bearings.

Along the gunwales are the secondary gun turrets - 7 per side. Although many are badly broken some can be easily distinguished amongst the general wreckage. The two masts of the vessel can still be seen as they stretch out away from the wreck. The seabed all around is littered with wreckage as is the area towards the bows.

At the stern section it is easy to locate the twin rudders with the propellor shafts above. Although not quite as impressive as the Markgraf's they provide a convenient reference point with which to navigate the wreck. Along the starboard side, part of the hull has been removed to expose the inner parts. Divers can appreciate how part of the boat was built by finning along this section and peering inside. It is straightforward to traverse the length of the boat by travelling up this side.

The Kronprinz is not the deepest of the Scapa wrecks. With the keel at 12m she is more like a reef. It is easy to do a pleasant and leisurely decompression as you ascend up the sides of the boat. But good dive planning is essential to get the most from this wreck. The biggest problems are orientation, where to go and what to see. It's also easy to get carried away and extend your diving time. The Kronprinz is a big wreck and it takes many dives to get to know her.