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Reichsflotte

Imperial Fleet
Reichsflotte (RF)
Ships of the Reichsflotte in 1849
Active1848–1852
Disbanded2 April 1852
Country German Empire (1848/1849)
 German Confederation
AllegianceProvisorische Zentralgewalt
TypeNavy
RoleNaval warfare
Size39 ships
H/QBrake, Oldenburg
EngagementsSchleswig War (1848–1851)
Commanders
Navy MinisterAugust Jochmus
Rear AdmiralKarl Brommy
Insignia
War Ensign (1848–1852)
Naval Jack (1848–1852)

The Reichsflotte (German: [ˈʁaɪçsˌflɔtə], Imperial Fleet) was the first navy for all of Germany, established by the revolutionary German Empire to provide a naval force in the First Schleswig War against Denmark. The decision was made on 14 June 1848 by the Frankfurt Parliament,[1] which is considered by the modern German Navy as its birthday.[2]

In December 1849 the imperial government was replaced by a federal commission. In 1851 the German Confederation was fully re-established. The German states such as Prussia, Hanover and Austria had a quarrel regarding the ships and the costs to sustain a fleet. In 1852 the Confederation decided to dissolve the fleet and sell the ships.[3]

  1. ^ Günter Wollstein: Das ‚Großdeutschland‘ der Paulskirche. Nationale Ziele in der bürgerlichen Revolution 1848/1849. Droste Verlag, Düsseldorf 1977, p. 262/263.
  2. ^ Website of the German Navy, retrieval on 29 May 2016.
  3. ^ Walther Hubatsch: Forschungsstand und Ergebnis. In: derselbe (Hrsg.): Die erste deutsche Flotte 1848-1853, E. S. Mittler und Sohn, Herford / Bonn 1981, p. 79-94, here p. 90/91.

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