Scuttled First World War battleships sold for £85,000

Three First World War German warships and a cruiser that have been lying on the seabed in Scapa Flow for a century have been put up for sale on eBay

The Markgraf, Karlsruhe, Konig and Kronprinz Wilhelm were part of the German High Seas fleet, were deliberately scuttled 100 years ago.

The three battleships sold for £25,500 each to a Middle Eastern company. The cruiser, Karlsruhe, sold for £8,500 to a private bidder in England.

The ships are scheduled monuments, which recreational divers are not supposed to enter.

The original asking price was over £800,000 but was dropped after no buyer was found.

The wrecks were owned by retired Tayside diving contractor Tommy Clark. Dean Crawford, a mediating agent for Mr Clark, said they were not certain as to the long-term intentions of the new owners, and the sale would depend on terms and conditions being met.

He said: “We’re finalising details of the sale with them. We hope to know more, ultimately, later this week.

“It’s not very often ships or shipwrecks like this come up for sale, especially with the history these vessels have.

“It’s a very rare occurrence and not something you see often at all.”

Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered the deliberate sinking of his ships during the First World War to prevent them being seized by the Allies.

The listing described the ships as “pre-owned” and “for collection”.