356 



GERMANY. 



The Emperor of Germany in September 

 visited Kiel to witness the launch of the cui- 

 rassed frigate Frederick the Great. The new- 

 vessel was built at the Government wharf at 

 Ellerbeck, and is exactly like the Borussia, 

 launched in November last. With a bulk of 

 4,118 tons and steam-engines of 5,400 horse- 

 power, it has a cuirass of 11 inches round the 

 turrets and centre. Its armament is to consist 

 of four 28-centimetre guns in the turrets and 

 two 21-centimetre guns placed fore and aft. 

 This is the seventh iron-cased frigate of the 

 German navy ; the eighth is expected to leave 

 the stocks early in 1875. By that time Ger- 

 many will be mistress of eight iron-cased frig- 

 ates, carrying 92 guns of the very heaviest 

 calibre (mostly 400 or 500 pounders) and set in 

 motion by engines with a total of 48,500 horse- 

 power. In addition to these first-class ships, 

 there are three more iron-clads of minor pro- 

 portions, making up together fifteen heavy 

 guns, and 5,400 horse-power. Twelve cor- 

 vettes, with 168 heavy guns and 18,600 horse- 

 power, attended by 24 gunboats, mustering 59 

 guns and 8,850 horse-power, complete the fight- 

 ing array of the youthful but aspiring fleet. 

 Of the corvettes some have twenty, others ten 

 or fifteen guns ; three of the number carrying 

 only five, with engines of above 2,000 horse- 

 power, being intended to act on the Alabama 

 plan in far-oif seas. The names of these vessels 

 are the Ariadne, Louisa, and Freya. The whole 

 German navy, including, besides the above, 

 three sailing-frigates and three sailing-brigs, 

 already numbers 55 ships, 425 guns, 73,768 tons, 

 and 84,770 horse-power. About 4,000 sailors, 

 with 1,000 marines, 500 artillerymen, and offi- 

 cers in proportion, were in 1874 reported in 

 the Blue-books. Next year will witness an in- 

 crease of about 2,000 in consequence of the new 

 iron-clads being equipped "for active service. 

 The tonnage of the German ships and the size 

 of their guns are so uncommonly great that, 

 though few in number, they are supposed to be 

 more than a match for any navy, those of Eng- 

 land, Russia, and France, excepted. If England 

 were to man her navy for war, she would re- 

 quire 68,000 men, of whom 22,000 would have 

 to be enlisted for the purpose. Russia, for the 

 like object, wants 36,000 ; France, 33,570 ; 

 Turkey, 21,000; Spain, 14,000; Germany, 13,- 

 000; Austria, 11,530; Italy, 11,200; Holland, 

 6,260; Denmark, 4,890; Norway, 3,500; Port- 

 ugal, 3,300; Sweden, about 3,000. Comparing 

 the total of the German cre\vs with those of 

 the other states, we find it exceeded by Eng- 

 land, Russia, France, Turkey, and Spain. Spain 

 does not count, so much of her forces existing 

 only on paper ; nor can Turkey's numbers be 

 relied upon, she being to a great extent de- 

 pendent upon foreign help for the effective 

 manning and officering of her ships. Hence 

 the "German navy is in reality inferior only to 

 the British, Russian, and French ; and even 

 this statement requires to be qualified, German 

 vessels being much more sparingly manned 



than either the Russian or the French, and 

 13,000 German sailors being accordingly not so 

 very much below the strength of 36,000 Rus- 

 sians or 33,570 Frenchmen as the figures would 

 seem to indicate. 



The German War Department early in 1874 

 ordered the fortifications on the eastern frontier 

 to be completed as soon as practicable. The 

 plans and estimates for these works had been 

 approved some months before, but certain modi- 

 fications were subsequently decided upon. At 

 Posen the fortifications are to be on a much 

 larger scale than was originally contemplated, 

 and the works at Wilhelmshaven on the land- 

 side will also be greatly extended. At Kiel, 

 besides the fortifications of Friedrichsort, two 

 forts will be erected at Oberjagersberg and 

 Korilgen, on the right bank of the bay of Kiel. 

 The harbor-works of the bay were much injured 

 by the spring tides in 1874, and steps were to be 

 taken to protect them against inundations. The 

 dike at Friedrichsort will be provided for this 

 purpose with a stone front, and the dredging- 

 works in the dock at Ellerbeck are to be pushed 

 forward as quickly as possible. The two mon- 

 itors Rhein and Mosel, built for service on the 

 Rhine by the "Weser Ship-building Company, 

 were fully equipped. They lie very low in the 

 water, so as to present the smallest possible 

 surface for the aim of an enemy's gnns. Two 

 heavy guns are placed in the centre turret, 

 and to each vessel will be attached fifty infan- 

 try soldiers besides the crew. 



The Governments of Germany and Great 

 Britain exchanged the results of new inventions 

 and experience made in the application of tor- 

 pedoes. The importance of Prof. Abel's dis- 

 covery of gun-cotton applied as explosive ma- 

 terial, has induced the German Government to 

 introduce its manufacture on the Continent. 

 In May, Dr. Hertz, engineer of the torpedo de- 

 partment of the German Imperial Navy, was 

 deputed by his Government to study the details 

 of the manufacturing process on the spot. The 

 German Government, in exchange, communi- 

 cated to that of Great Britain the secret of the 

 Hertz torpedo. It was expected that the intro- 

 duction of the Hertz torpedo would simplify in 

 a very great measure theEnglish coast-defenses, 

 as the great number of electric cables indispen- 

 sable for the Engh'sh topedo, as it exists at pres- 

 ent, would become comparatively unnecessary. 



The German Admiralty, in 1874, made great 

 efforts to improve the ship-building industry 

 of the empire. This is to be done, not only by 

 having a considerable number of ships-of-war 

 built in private ship-building establishments, 

 but also by applying almost exclusively to Ger- 

 man manufacturers for the machinery and 

 other articles required for naval purposes. It 

 is hoped by this means in a few years to make 

 the German navy quite independent of foreign 

 countries, both as regards ship-building and its 

 other requirements. The slight development 

 which has taken place in the German ship- 

 building industry during the last few years is 





