F2 and Barge, wreck dive, Scapa Flow

F2 was a World War II German escort boat, similar to a corvette, given to the British as war reparations. The boat sank during a gale in 1946 and came to rest in Gutter Sound, between the islands of Hoy and Farra.

She sank in a storm in 1946, not long after coming into British hands at the end of the war. The wreck was not considered worthy of salvage until 1967 or 1968, when it was sold for scrap to Metrec Engineering. The company used a wooden barge, YC21, in the salvage operation, but the barge sank in a storm on 15 November 1968. No salvage operations have been carried out on either wreck since.

Much of the F2 still lies at a depth of 16 metres below high water. The hull has been broken in half – the stern remains upright but the forward portion lies on its port side. Recognisable features and fittings include the forward gun, the single mast, the searchlight and the starboard anchor cable, which leads out from the bow
The YC21 barge was holding many salvaged pieces of the F2 when she sank, and this debris is now lying in 15 metres of water.