New-York tribune., 1871-07-12
THE GERMAN NAVY.
ITS FORMER AND PRESENT COspIrIoN-rhE Sis.
rpu op NAVAL INsTRUCTION-UOw THE
OFFICERs AND sEAMEN OF THE NAVY ARE


| WuuFIMsUAyEN June A.-ln the year lS47,
there was Germany after fashion, but that Germany
had no feet or any notion OF fleet In the year lo4o
there were ideas German Empire, to be constituted
in some revolutionary fashion or other by constituting
rent sitting at Frankforton-theM 1t seemed
good INTO this inchoate Empire that it should have
fleet: the suggestion being owing chiefly to Radlcal
member named Kerst, who had frat been schoomaster
| and then lived for long time In Brazil A Meet OF
soue kind WAS got together- curious collection OF
| the "castr crafts from other nayies could be
called aeet-and then came the question about port
| on the North Sea- for any port the Baltic obvt
| ousy had its disadvantages A committee was dele
gated with the right of secret sttng to inquire into
| the capabilities Of certain localities for hayons, Kerst
being the moving power in the matter While the Com
mttee was celebrating, and bad almost concluded
provisional bargain with the Grand Duke OF 0denburg
for whemshaven there came crisis in the affairs of
this problemaea German Empire. It's fleet put up
TO auction What OF the offa 1t is not easy to
discover the ships that least merited breaking were
bought auction by Prussia. Prussia, too, assumed the
wihelmshaven negotiation, and concluded it in the
| year 1853, buying from Grand Duke Peter slip OF
bulrush waste land measuring about $3.50 acres,
| extending from the Banter Creek the south to
| Heppenserrift the north, for the sum OF
| s375OOo-a purchase not profitable on the face OF
It, but made with the view Of converting the burush
waste into great naval port and arsenal Since then
boundary of 1853 has been extended some little dis
tance inland The construction OF the haven was
commenced in the year 1851 but proceeded with In
very langud for several years The annual sum
expended in the work for the first 10 years was never
greatly s2500O, and when the magnitude OF the
plan IL considered 1t Is obvious that such vote as this
was a mere drop In the bucket But in 1866 the works
| pushed rapidly, and the expenditure became
liberal; t the 18th Of June, 1882 the new har-
opened in form by Wilhelm then King of Prussia
now Emperor Of Germany. The opening was IN form In
every 1t true the basn canal and moes were
constructed but the hsrbor yet dry land or at the
most mud when thus formally opened A British ship
of.war the Meteor, present at the opening. Not
being gifted with the capacity Of vautng over earthen
dykes and progressing dry land, she lay outside In
the bay. The works continued 10 progress until the
declaration Of war between France and Germany in
July of last year At that date Wilbelmsayen was but
a naval port in name. No German shipofwar had ever
steamed into its basin 1t existed indeed and the port
had been opened but only by the nod of King. An
earthern dyke still extended ts mouth between
the moles excluding the water wholly from the
new port.
Shortly before the declaration of North German
squadron consisting of tho Kong Wilhelm the Kron
prinz and the Prince Friedrich Carl, had come TO En-
gland on its way pofessedy to voyage to the Azores
The K0nig Wilhelm had nine inches of foulness on its
bottom. for there no dry-dock in German waters
where the monster ship could be berthed and cleaned
Its speed was thus reduced from IA to 81 knots Its cyl
inders were old and obsolete principle In com
through
broken.o two OF the four fans OF its screw But the
squadron quilted Plymouth in July, nopinally on the
way to the Azores, yet with a forewarning OF what
coming, with secSet orders not TO pass the
Land's-End, and with a rendezvous given at the
Start An arise from the flagship put into Dart
mouth without hoisting the North German flag
An officer up to London, saw Count Bernstorh,
and came down again with dispatches On the 18th Of
July the German squadron was in the mouth OF the jade
while the French and most OF the rest OF the world be-
leved it quietly Jogging across the Atlantic to the
Azores There but three ships not in the best con-
diton for offensive operations, and, looking at the
strength OF the other side not calculated to inspire great
confidence asregards defensive capabilities. The three
ships lay the mouth of the Bay Of jade opposite
the island of WaDgeroOg at the point where the chan
mel narrowest and Obsructed with banks The protec-
ton of the Weser tardly conlded to Is torpedo
boats that Of the Ebe to six torpedo-boats tsteam
launches). Tho position seemed critical in the
extreme Ii IL well authenticated fact
that up to the month of August last,
there was not a single gun in position on the German
cost Of the North Sea for defensive purposes II the
French fleet as might reasonably have been expected
had driven in the defenses constituted by the three iron
cads at mouth of the Jade, the works Of Wbeims
haven lay at their mercy and there retreat for
the ronclads for the earthen dyke still stood
across the throat OF the harbOr Of Wihelmsaven ana
even if this had been the it in an utterly
defenseless condition How the French never came Is
erons were made to remedy the defenseess condition OF
the northern coast Yet the batteries protecting the
Elbe were not finished till October and mounted with
GOOpounder guns Some little time before this battery
OF 3OOpounder guns got into position at "iinems
haven Now, there are two batteries OF guns OF
,,,. oo,t,or ON etber side OF the entrance to the
borbor AT Ueppenserrift large fort Is In course OF
construction on a slight projection into the bay It's
are about to be arched ill., ana ls scarp
s about finished 1t will mount when hnished-and no
tme IA 70 be lost its scompletOnabou 40 llineh guns
which will command the fair-way leading to the mouth
OF the harbor Another fort on the opposite side OF the
bav-here about six miles across-is building, and an
roncad be erected in the center OF the cham
mel II s reckoncd and Justly 80 that these deieneS
combined with tOrpedoes and distractions to be lad
down in the air-way in case OF need. VIII render WI"
belmshaven impregnabe on the seaside. while chain
of earhwOrk redoubs on the landward side e1ecluay
meet the minor danger in that direction.
One of the defects of the placetha OF want Of good
drinking water-wilhelmshave has overcome. Springs
have been discovered and water ia obtained 50 that
the tanks OF the largest ship can he ned at once WIN
good water Another apprehension-viz that the chal
mel and harbOr mouth were liable to become sued-is
contradcted and 1t probable that any tendency
tbereo NAV he avered by the steady use of dredgers
which certainly are not spared In December last taking
advantage of high tide, the KOnig Wilhelm came 1n
drawing about 80 feet of water But Whemshayen ls
surely in the eyes OF the German naval authorities
themselves far from the 0edh dedt Oh haipor oi
warAeet is utterly deficient In aggressive iaclles
while it presents facilities of an obvious character
not for being attacked, it is true, but Tor Oeihg
blockaded. Like all creek harbOrs, IL very
much OF the nature Of a prison. There IL point
in the passage out where the far-way Is not over nan
mile broad. With blockadng squadron OF very mod
force concentrating fire gulley like ths not
be traversed by single ship at once, Meet In
wilhemshaven, trying to out, would simply DC
sent to the bottom ship after ship OF course these very