There is a dreadnaught cruiser, the Derfflinger, just ready, with a greater displacement (28,000 tons), and of course, with far greater speed than any of the battle-ships. Next comes the Seydlitz (25,000 tons), then the Moltke and the Goeben (23,000 tons), and the Von der Tann (19,500 tons). The Goeben has already been practically captured, as has also the Breslau (4,550 tons). They are now in the Dardanelles, and the Turkish government is considering their purchase. Twenty-three of the protected cruisers bear the names of German cities (like the Breslau, Colberg, Dresden, Königsberg), while the rest for the most part have such names as the Gazelle, the Medusa, the Niobe, the Undine.
Some fifteen of the largest and best-known passenger ships of the Hamburg and Bremen lines were to have served as auxiliary cruisers, but a number of these now are in foreign ports and far from the needed protection of their fleets. It remains to be seen what use will be made of the Imperator, which is still at Cuxhaven or Hamburg.
For Raising Sunken Submarines
In concluding our list of ships in the German navy it may interest Americans to know that there is one called the Alice Roosevelt. It is not likely to influence the progress of the war or even to come into action. Its special title is Stationsjacht, and it is at the service of the general inspector of the navy, Prince Henry of Prussia.
Germany’s ally, Austria, although in May, 1914, she appropriated more than 400,000,000 kronen for her fleet, makes at present a very weak showing. She has fifteen ships of the line, of which three are dreadnaughts, two armored cruisers and seven protected cruisers.
England, Germany’s chief naval opponent, has sixty-three ships of the line as compared to her own thirty-eight, and of these twenty-four are dreadnaughts, as compared to seventeen. England has forty-four armored cruisers, of which ten are dreadnaughts; Germany has but fourteen armored cruisers, and but five of them are dreadnaughts. In protected cruisers the ratio is still more in England’s favor, while with torpedo-boats Germany is comparatively well provided—one hundred fifty-four as against one hundred ninety. It may be mentioned here, as a bit of interesting history, that the majority of great naval victories have been won over numerically superior fleets.
The Second Squadron Passing the Friedrichsort Light
France has ten dreadnaught battle-ships, on paper, but no dreadnaught cruisers, and is said to have had difficulty in officering the ships that she has. Moreover, of the ten dreadnaughts six are only what are called half-dreadnaughts and only three of the others are ready for service. Russia is practically without a fleet, though she has four battle-ships and fourteen cruisers in the Baltic and four battle-ships and two cruisers in the Black Sea. Next year she expects to have ready for use in the Baltic four new dreadnaughts.