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Scapa Flow Visitor Centre

Lyness, Hoy

The Scapa Flow Visitor Centre tells the story of the Royal Navy's northern base and its role in two World Wars. It is housed in the oil pumping station at Lyness on the Island of Hoy, which supplied fuel to the British Fleet. World War 1 displays include a propeller and other artefacts from HMS Hampshire, mined off Orkney in 1916 with the loss of Lord Kitchener. Guns salvaged from the German High Seas Fleet which was scuttled in Scapa Flow in 1919 form part of the display in front of the building, along with railway engines on tracks.There is a large photographic collection as well as objects on display inside, where you can see one of the pumps in action. The last remaining oil storage tank is also open, and the new audio visual display gives a flavour of life in wartime Orkney with sound and light effects. Also in the tank are larger exhibits, including a searchlight, bren-gun carrier, and a boat that sailed to Orkney from occupied Norway.

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