From coastal defense to battle fleet
Four decades of expansion
Founded after German unification, the Imperial Navy developed from a modest coastal force into one of the world's largest fleets. Naval construction programs at the turn of the century placed battleships and battlecruisers at its center, supported by cruisers, torpedo boats and specialized mine-warfare vessels.
Although built primarily for a contest in the North Sea, its ships served in the Baltic, the Mediterranean and overseas stations across the world. The First World War brought fleet actions, commerce warfare and demanding small-craft operations before the Imperial Navy ceased to exist in 1918.