Souls of Scapa Flow
28th November, 2025
A chilling supernatural thriller that weaves between the storm-lashed shores of Orkney and the chaos of Manhattan.
When two divers illegally recover artefacts from HMS Vanguard — a WWI war grave resting beneath Scapa Flow — they unleash a deadly series of hauntings.
As the cursed relics pass through unsuspecting hands, ghostly forces strike with growing intensity. A haunted priest, a blunt medium, and an unconventional deliverance minister must work together to uncover the truth and lay the spirits to rest. But the dead are not easily appeased...
Will they find a way to end the hauntings — or be dragged under like the rest?
Inspired by real events, this gripping tale explores guilt, redemption, and the lasting power of the past.
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Available as Paperback
Available as Ebook
How I came to write Souls of Scapa Flow
‘The inspiration for the book was my first visit to Orkney and the purchase of a tea towel!” explains S.D. Read. Given that my wife and I had both taught history, we wanted to visit Orkney when we retired to see the famous prehistoric dwellings at Skara Brae and Scapa Flow Museum that tells the story of the Royal Navy’s activities there in the two world wars.
As it turned out, the museum was closed for refurbishment when we went. Despite this setback, I was still keen to find out more about the wrecks in Scapa Flow and saw a tea towel in a gift shop. It contained information about the German ships scuttled in Scapa Flow in 1919 and also HMS Royal Oak, sunk in WWII by a U boat with the loss of 834 lives. I knew something about those, but the tea towel also had information about HMS Vanguard that sank in 1917 after mysteriously exploding at anchor with the loss of 843 lives. I found it incredible that I had never heard of this maritime disaster and started to read about it on-line. It was this, coupled with how fascinating my wife and I found Orkney, the spectacular landscape, the history and the friendly people we met, that provided the initial spark for the story.
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However, just after our first visit to Orkney and me having the initial idea of a ghost story linked to HMS Vanguard, my wife was unfortunately diagnosed with Myeloma, a type of blood cancer for which there is no cure. It is treatable however, and she has undergone extensive chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant that has thankfully placed her in remission.
I distinctly remember writing the prologue for the book in Leeds hospital when my wife was having her stem cells harvested. As she was hooked up to a machine, I read her the draft and she said, ‘I think you’ve got something there. I can picture it.’ In fact, I wrote a significant amount of the story at Carolyn’s side during treatment or waiting for her in hospitals. I actually completed the epilogue almost a year after I began the prologue, by which time Carolyn was happily in remission.”