On This Day
·

German air raid on British fleet base Scapa Flow

Scapa Flow (from Old Norse Skalpaflói 'bay of the long isthmus') is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy.

Scapa Flow (from Old Norse Skalpaflói 'bay of the long isthmus') is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have played an important role in travel, trade and conflict throughout the centuries. Vikings anchored their longships in Scapa Flow more than a thousand years ago. It was the United Kingdom's chief naval base during the First and Second World Wars, but the facility was closed in 1956.

Since the scuttling of the German fleet after World War I, its wrecks and their marine habitats form an internationally acclaimed diving location.

Scapa Flow hosts an oil port, the Flotta oil terminal.

Historical Significance

Scapa Flow (from Old Norse Skalpaflói 'bay of the long isthmus') is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy.

Events Before

  1. Jim Bakker is born

    Jim Bakker televangelist, known for american televangelist, was born on 1939-01-02. James Orsen Bakker is an American televangelist and convicted felon.

  2. American future MLB catcher Roy Campanella (18) weds Bernice Ray; eventually divorce

    American future MLB catcher Roy Campanella (18) weds Bernice Ray; eventually divorce

  3. Adolf Hitler threatens Jews during his speech to the German Reichstag (Parliament)

    Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Germany during the Nazi era, which lasted from 1933 until his suicide in 1945.

  4. American singer Frank Sinatra (23) marries 1st wife Nancy Barbato (21) at Our Lady of Sorrows catholic church in Jersey

    American singer Frank Sinatra (23) marries 1st wife Nancy Barbato (21) at Our Lady of Sorrows catholic church in Jersey City, New Jersey; divorce in 1951

  5. Mahatma Gandhi begins a fast in Bombay to protest against autocratic rule in India

    Mahatma Gandhi begins a fast in Bombay to protest against autocratic rule in India

Events After

  1. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms speech during his State of the Union address, outlining fr

    US President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms speech during his State of the Union address, outlining freedom of speech and worship and freedom from want and fear [1] [2]

  2. New Fourth Army Incident: Chinese Kuomintang forces under orders from Chiang Kai-shek fire on the surrounded Communist N

    New Fourth Army Incident: Chinese Kuomintang forces under orders from Chiang Kai-shek fire on the surrounded Communist New Fourth Army at Maolin, Anhui Province, killing or capturing about 7,000 troops

  3. Duke Ellington and his Orchestra first record "Take the 'A' Train" written by Billy Strayhorn, at RCA Studio in Hollywoo

    Duke Ellington and his Orchestra first record "Take the 'A' Train" written by Billy Strayhorn, at RCA Studio in Hollywood, California; it goes on to become his signature tune

  4. Future CIA Director William J. Casey (27) weds Sophia Kurz

    Future CIA Director William J. Casey (27) weds Sophia Kurz

  5. American Actress Hattie McDaniel (45) weds real estate salesman James Lloyd Crawford; divorced 1945

    American Actress Hattie McDaniel (45) weds real estate salesman James Lloyd Crawford; divorced 1945

More from the 1940s

D-Day: The Normandy Landings

Allied forces launch the largest amphibious invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France, marking the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.

wars conflicts

World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pled

World War II: Representatives of 26 nations at war with the Axis powers sign the Declaration of the United Nations, pledging to make no separate peace deals

Mahatma Gandhi begins a march for peace in East Bengal

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political thinker who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign…

birth

Omar al-Bashir is born

Omar al-Bashir is born

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 16, 1940?
Scapa Flow (from Old Norse Skalpaflói 'bay of the long isthmus') is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. Its sheltered waters have played an important role in travel, trade and conflict throughout the centuries. Vikings anchored their longships in Scapa Flow more than a thousand years ago.
Why is German air raid on British fleet base Scapa Flow significant?
Scapa Flow (from Old Norse Skalpaflói 'bay of the long isthmus') is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy.

Explore More

March 16 in HistoryYear 1940