On 21 June 1919, the commander of the interned fleet, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, ordered the scuttling of the fleet.
Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, the commander of the interned German fleet, ordered his ships be sunk on 21 June 1919; Bayern was successfully scuttled, though British guards managed to beach Baden to prevent her from sinking.
On 21 June 1919, days before the treaty was signed, the commander of the interned fleet, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, ordered the fleet to be scuttled to ensure that the British would not be able to seize the ships.
So while the landscapes may appear somewhat ominous and the story of the interned children wanting to go home may seem a bit frightening, Say's gently evocative paintings and his plain but lyrical writing prevent this work from being too disturbing for school-age readers.
Command of the interned ships was exercised through Rear-Admiral von Reuter, flying his flag in the battleship.
Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter, who was in command of the interned High Seas Fleet, ordered the ships to be scuttled in an attempt to prevent their possible seizure by the Royal Navy.
Recreation for the men was limited to their ships, as the British refused to allow any of the interned sailors to go ashore or visit any other German ships.
There were concerns by Dudley Field Malone, the local port collector, that some of the interned German steamships at New York might try to slip out during a heavy snowstorm.
His orders were sent to the interned ships on 18 June.
