Cava (island)

Cava
Waters	Scapa Flow
Archipelago	Orkney Islands
Geographical location	58 ° 52 '52 "  N , 3 ° 10' 6"  W Coordinates: 58 ° 52 '52 "  N , 3 ° 10' 6"  W.
length	1.9 km
width	880 m
surface	1.07 km²
Highest elevation	38  m
Residents	uninhabited

The island of Cava (old north. Kalf-ey , German  "Kalbsinsel" ) belongs to the Orkney archipelago about 30 km north of the Scottish mainland. It lies between the islands of Hoy and Mainland in the bay of Scapa Flow . The island is 107 hectares , a maximum of 38.0 meters high and uninhabited.

The pirate John Gow kidnapped two girls from Orphir on his escape from Stromness in 1725 and abandoned them on Cava. In the north of Cava there is an eleven meter high lighthouse built in 1898 .

Due to its location, the island was of particular importance in both world wars. Sunk ships of the German deep sea fleet lie in front of the island. On June 21, 1919, the commander of the interned German fleet, Rear Admiral gave Ludwig von Reuter , the order to scuttle the following seven ships off the island of Cava: Seidlitz , Von der Tann , Moltke , Kaiser , Hindenburg , Prince Regent Luitpold and the brake at the 1929 was lifted. A brake gun can be seen today at the Scapa Flow Visitor Center in Lyness , on the Isle of Hoy .

In World War II rose from here barrage balloons on.

The island is also the location of the webcomic "Crossed: Wish You Were Here" which is based on the comic book "Crossed" by Garth Ennis.

literature

• Charles Tait: The Orkney Guide Book. Edition 2.1. C. Tait, Kelton - St. Ola - Orkney 1999, ISBN 0-9517859-0-7 , p. 167

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Major Gibbon, The Triumph of the Royal Navy , 1919 (Official Report of the British Admiralty)

photos

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