Bayern-class battleship ships were interned, they had their guns disabled through the removal of their breech blocks. The fleet remained in captivity during the negotiations that ultimately produced the Versailles Treaty. It became apparent to Reuter that the British intended to seize the German ships on 21 June, which was the deadline for Germany to have signed the peace treaty. To prevent this, he decided to scuttle his ships at the first opportunity. On the morning of 21 June, the British fleet left Scapa Flow to conduct training maneuvers; at 11:20 Reuter transmitted the order to his ships. "Bayern" sank at 14:30,
German name village of Veltheim, his family name would be "von Veltheim". In modern times, people who were elevated to nobility often had a 'von' added to their name. For example, Johann Wolfgang Goethe had his name changed to "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe". This practice ended with the abolition of the monarchy in Germany and Austria in 1919. Sometimes "von" is also used in geographical names that are not noble, as in "von Däniken". With family names originating locally, many names display particular characteristics of the local dialects, such as the south German, Austrian and Swiss diminutive endings "-l" "-el", "-erl", "-le"