Scapa Flow

American

[skah-puh, skap-uh] / ˈskɑ pə, ˈskæp ə /

noun

an area of water off the N coast of Scotland, in the Orkney Islands: British naval base; German warships scuttled 1919.

Scapa Flow British

/ ˈskæpə /

noun

an extensive landlocked anchorage off the N coast of Scotland, in the Orkney Islands: major British naval base in both World Wars. Length: about 24 km (15 miles). Width: 13 km (8 miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Scapa Flow

The British warships sunk in Scapa Flow - HMS Royal Oak and HMS Vanguard - are classified as war graves and special permission is needed from the Ministry of Defence to visit them.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025

The SS Express sank north of Scapa Flow following a collision with another ship.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2023

"The thing about diving in these areas north of Scapa Flow is the water clarity improves dramatically," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2023

Stuart MacCormac from Cardiff died in 2011 whilst diving the Dresden, a World War One German cruiser scuttled in Scapa Flow.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2018

Let us suppose for a moment that an earthquake, or some other great natural disturbance, had engulfed the British fleet at Scapa Flow.

From A Straight Deal or The Ancient Grudge by Wister, Owen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023