Kaiserliche Navy

The Kaiserliche Marine or imperial Marine was the German Marine created after the formation of the German Empire and which existed of 1871 with 1919. Exit of the Prussian Navy and the Norddeutsche Bundesmarine , it was largely developed by Kaiser Guillaume II, causing a race with the armemements between the Germany and the British Empire. Even if it were never beaten, the imperial Navy were largely destroyed with Scapa Flow in 1919, were scuttled by its own officers after the German defeat on the face of the West of 1918 and the prospect for the signature of the Traité of Versailles.

The ships of the Kaiserliche Marine were indicated by the initials SMS , for Seiner Majestät Schiff (ship of its majesty, are equivalent German of English HMS).

Beginnings

In 1880, the new marine of the German empire was very modest.

She included/understood 5.700 sailors ordered by 4 admirals, 4 vice-admirals, 62 captains and 367 lieutenants.

There was, moreover, 6 companies of Marines and 3d' Artillerie, that is to say 1.500 men.

The sailors are recruited by way of Conscription among the maritime population, which is free from service in the Army.

The 3 port S of war (naval Base) at that time are Kiel, Dantzig on the the Baltic and Wilhelmshafen (Wilhelmshaven) on the the North Sea.

New illustrated universal encyclopedic Dictionary, Jules Trousset, 1886-1891

The March 28th 1898, the naval laws of the Secretary of State to the navy Alfred von Tirpitz are adopted by the Reichstag. They envisage the operational startup of 17 battleships of line, 8 coastal battleships, 35 cruisers and 2 ship of the lines. This program does not claim by competing with the British fleet but is with the height of the colonial and commercial ambitions of Germany.

The First World War

The day before the First World War, it allocated the second place in the naval hierarchy behind the Royal Navy with a fleet of a million tons of combat ships.

Historic atlas of the war , Richard Holmes, JCLattès, 1989

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