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| Kaiser Wilhelm II, Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, andGeneral Helmuth von Moltke |
Part I of this two-part series can be read HERE.
II. Building the High Seas Fleet
In June 1897, Tirpitz was appointed to the new position of secretary of state of the Imperial Naval office and given the job of challenging the Royal Navy's dominance. He immediately got to work, raised a staff, appointed committees and set them to work—exploring the latest in ship design, gunnery and shells, examining training programs, studying docks, shipyards, and the Kiel Canal. Maybe most important, he began a huge public relations campaign to win public support for the coming financial investment to build the fleet. He cultivated the press, organized public events, and funded a naval propaganda team that had a team of authors turning out novels, pamphlets, and school presentations. In just six months, Tirpitz put together a first-phase building program and had both the Reichstag and public opinion primed to support it.
Tirpitz gained authorization and financing for a series of Naval Laws he presented to the Reichstag:
1898
The First German Naval Law, a construction program to enable the new German Navy to oppose the French and Russian navies. Nineteen battleships, eight armored cruisers, 12 large and 30 light cruisers to be completed by 1904.
1900
Second German Naval Law to challenge Royal Navy. Fleet to be doubled to 38 battleships, 20 armored cruisers, and 38 light cruisers.
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| Battle Flag of the Commander of the High Seas Fleet |
1906
Third Naval Law (six battleships) proposed by Reichsmarinemt. These, the Deutschland-class, 13,990t, 4–11in, were the last pre-dreadnoughts to be built. Meanwhile, the revolutionary British all-big-gun battleship Dreadnought was launched and soon completed, superseding all existing capital ships and thus dislocating the German building program. This led to the First Amendment of 1900 Naval Law (5 + 1 armored cruisers) instead of the six battleships of the 3rd Law which would have to be uprated to the Dreadnought concept. This would have been too expensive for the Reichstag at that time.
1907
Germany's High Seas Fleet comes into being. It consists of two 8-ship squadrons of pre-dreadnought battleships. A third squadron would be added in 1914.
1908
Second Amendment of 1900 Law (six Dreadnoughts at the rate of two each fiscal year, plus submarine construction). Admiral Tirpitz, as head of Reichsmarine was subordinate to the Imperial Chancellor but at this time was, in effect, steering much German foreign policy.
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| High Seas Fleet, c. 1910 |
1912
Third Naval Amendment—to build three capital ships each year, building up to an active fleet strength in German waters of one fleet flagship, three squadrons of eight battleships, eight battlecruisers, 18 light cruisers. Tirpitz's domination of other branches of the navy, though still strong, was for the first time under serious attack by U-boat and preparedness advocates. Funding was not available for the navy to respond to Britain's new Queen Elizabeth-class of super-dreadnoughts.
By 1912, however, the naval arms race was abating. Tirpitz publicly stated that 1912 was his “last” amendment to the navy law. His influence waning, he apprehended the fleet he had built would enter any near-term conflict still significantly inferior to Britain's.
Sources: Hale, Wesley R., "The SMS Ostfriesland: A Warship at the Crossroads of Military Technology"; The Dreadnoughts, Time-Life Books.
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