Churchill Barriers 1

I like to think of this photo as a metaphor for old and new thinking and technology.

The ‘blockship’ on the right was scuttled intentionally to help prevent enemy submarines from having access to Scappa Flow, which was a vital UK military base up until and throughout the second World War. These defences were proved severely inadequate when HMS Royal Oak was sunk at anchor on 14 October 1939 by a German U-boat.

Thereafter Winston Churchill ordered the creation of the Churchill Barriers to protect Scappa Flow. The barriers connected mainland Orkney and four of its islands and were built largely by Italian Prisoners of War during the war. Today these beautiful barriers provide a vital link to the Orkney mainland for the archipelago’s now-linked islands.