The History of Scapa Flow Museum, Lyness
The old Royal Navy pumphouse at Lyness, along with one of the original oil tanks, were purchased by the Orkney Islands Council from the Ministry of Defence in 1980. It originally opened to the public in 1990, having been refurbished by the Special Projects Unit of the Orkney Islands Council. It did not become a part of the Museums Service until 2000. It has just gone through a major refurbishment, including a new building to house a significant amount of the collection. This means that fragile artefacts can be exhibited safely for the first time.
The pumphouse served the Royal Navy during World War II and remained a Royal Naval Base until it was closed in 1957. It did, however, remain an Admiralty oil fuel depot until 1976 for use by the Royal Navy and NATO forces
The Scapa Flow Museum tells the story of the naval base at Scapa Flow during both World Wars, as well as the scuttling of the German Fleet and the subsequent salvage operations. Work is continuing on associated buildings and larger artefacts are being professionally conserved for future generations.