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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Scapa Flow
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Anchorage of about 24km/15m by 13km/8m, formed by a ring of the larger islands of the *Orkneys. It was the main base of the British fleet in both world wars. In 1919 the German High Sea Fleet, interned here and awaiting a decision on its fate, was scuttled by its skeleton crews. Early in World War II a U-boat penetrated Scapa Flow and sank the battleship Royal Oak with a loss of 833 lives on 14 October 1939 – a disaster which led to the construction of a much more elaborate defensive system. Scapa Flow was closed as a base in 1956.
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