Military units

Imperial German Navy

Navy · German Empire

The Imperial German Navy, or Kaiserliche Marine, was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy, and Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded it under the leadership of Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, producing a naval arms race with Britain as the German navy grew to become one of the greatest maritime forces in the world, second only to the Royal Navy. Its surface fleet saw only one major engagement in World War I, the Battle of Jutland, while its expanded submarine fleet threatened the British supply system during the U-boat campaign. As part of the Armistice its main ships were ordered turned over to the Allies but were scuttled by their own crews instead; all its ships bore the prefix SMS (Seiner Majestat Schiff).

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