Why didn't the Germans bomb Scapa Flow during WW2?

Why didn't they attempt to take out most of Britain's fleet in one swoop like the Japanese tried at Pearl Habour? Was it even considered by Hitler?
 
Why didn't they attempt to take out most of Britain's fleet in one swoop like the Japanese tried at Pearl Habour? Was it even considered by Hitler?

The RN were not mugs and evacuated Scapa Flow before hostilities started only Belfast, Royal Oak and a couple of others were there when Prein managed to sneak in and sink Royal Oak

Also from the closest German Airbase it's about 600+ miles which a JU88 can just about make - but probably not with bombs!
 
They did a couple of times at least...

On 17 October, four Junkers Ju 88 medium bombers attacked Scapa Flow, and damaged Iron Duke with several near misses. To prevent her from sinking, her crew had to run the ship aground.[68] On 16 March, the ship, which was still beached, was attacked again by Luftwaffe aircraft. This time, eighteen Ju 88s attacked the harbour and surrounding installations. Iron Duke was again badly damaged, as was the heavy cruiser Norfolk.[69]

I think the general reluctance was that the base tended to be fairly empty, the ships frequently being at sea on escort duty. It was beyond escort range too, plus the Luftwaffe wasn't really set up to attack ships anyway.
 

CalBear

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Going to do it, you need to go with a Pearl Harbor sort of strike, when there are enough ships in the harbor to make it worthwhile. Since Hitler was, by all accounts, shocked that the British and the French actually went to the mattresses after the invasion of Poland, that strategic decision was never in the portfolio.
 
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