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In the water, impenetrable anti-submarine netting made from thick interwoven sections of wire cable was suspended on floating wooden booms strung across parts of Scapa Flow and the larger channels into the Flow such as Hoxa Sound, which were not going to be completely closed off. Any fast-moving enemy torpedo boat or destroyer would suffer extensive damage if it hit the boom, allowing shore batteries to fire on it. Moving sections of the boom, much like gates, were incorporated so that they could be opened and closed to allow British vessels to pass.

Because of the tidal race in the smaller sounds, mining was not feasible and it wasn’t necessary to keep these channels open for navigation like the other larger channels. The water depths in the four sounds between the islands to the east of Scapa Flow and also in Burra Sound to the west, ranged up to maximum depths of about 15 metres at most – perfect to be blocked by intentionally scuttled sunken ships: Blockships.

These blockships were redundant, old or damaged vessels at the end of their lives that had no great commercial value – but which had great strategic value. They were stripped of anything valuable before being towed into position, their holds often filled with large boulders to make them sink quickly. Their hulls were then blasted open to the sea by explosives to finally sink them.