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Kaiserliche Marine Uniforms

As a rule, the uniforms of the Navy were very similar to those of the British Royal Navy. The insignia of rank on the sleeves is similar to that of the United State. A crown instead of a star is placed above the stripes to designate executive ranks. Engineer Officers, like the British, although belonging to a separate corps, hold executive ranks, and therefore wear the crown above the stripes. Torpedo officers and officers of the civilian branches are without the crown on the sleeve, but wear between the gold stripes a color designating the corps. Thus, engineers, black; torpedo officers, brown; doctors, blue; paymasters, light blue, and constructors, black. The color of the branch is also worn on the epaulettes, full dress and worked into the shoulder-straps. Paymasters and constructors have silver instead of gold epaulette fringes and cloth instead of velvet between the stripes.

The ranks of the commissioned officers of the German Navy, with their insignias, are as follows:

• Grand Admiral. One wide gold stripe below four narrow gold stripes, with a gold crown above.
• Admiral. One wide gold stripe below three narrow gold stripes, with a gold crown above.
• Vice Admiral. One wide gold stripe below two narrow gold stripes, with a gold crown above.
• Rear Admiral. One wide gold stripe below one narrow gold stripe, with a gold crown above.
• Captain. Four narrow gold stripes below a gold crown.
• Commander. Three narrow gold stripes below a gold crown.
• Senior Lieutenant. Two narrow gold stripes below a gold crown.
• Junior Lieutenant. One narrow gold stripe below a gold crown.
• Sub-Lieutenant. One very narrow gold stripe below a gold crown.

The insignia of rank on the shoulder knots is as follows:

• Admiral. An interlacing of cords with gold trimming on which is mounted three small gold rosettes.
• Vice Admiral. An interlacing of cords with gold trimming, on which is mounted two small gold rosettes.
• Rear Admiral. An interlacing of cords with gold trimming on which is mounted one small gold rosette.
• Captain. Broad interlacing of cords without gold trimming on which is mounted two small gold rosettes.
• Commander. Broad interlacing of cords without gold trimming, on which is mounted one small gold rosette.
• Senior Lieutenant. Broad interlacing of cords without gold trimming.
• Junior Lieutenant. Narrow parallel cords, on which is mounted two gold rosettes.
• Sub-Lieutenant. Narrow parallel cords, on which is mounted one gold rosette.

Naval officers had gilt metal epaulettes with a silver anchor in the field. Those of admirals had thick gold lace fringes with an eagle above the anchor, and for admirals two, for vice- admirals one, and for rear-admirals no silver stars. The epaulettes of captains and corvette-captains had the same fringes as those of admirals, but with no eagle above the anchor, and, for captains two, for corvette-captains no stars. The epaulettes of captain-lieutenants and lieutenants had fringes of thin gold lace with two stars for the former and none for the latter, those of sub-lieutenants have neither fringes nor stare. Shoulder-pieces of silver lace with black and red silk worked into them were worn in undress with the same badges of rank as on the epaulettes in gold, except that lieutenants had one star.

On the cuffs of the sleeves, admirals had a gold band of lace with two rows of narrow braid above it for admirals, one for vice-admirals, and none for rear-admirals ; captains have four, corvette-captains three, captain-lieutenants two, and lieutenants one band of 1-inch lace on the cuff, and sub-lieutenants one band of 1/2-inch lace. Medical Officers had dark blue velvet fields to and the staff of Esculapius on their epaulettes and shoulder-pieces, and Engineer Officers black velvet fields to their epaulettes, with the anchor and a wheel, and black velvet collars.

The uniform of the Marine Battalion was dark blue tunics with white collars, shoulder-straps, and piping, yellow buttons, and an anchor with a rope wound round it on the shoulder-strap. The headdress is a shaco like that of the rifles, and the forage cap is dark blue with a blue band and white piping. Other articles of clothing and equipment were as in the Infantry, with black belts. Officers' and non-commissioned officers' badges of rank were as in the Army.

Naval officials wore naval uniforms but with silver buttons and lace. Paymasters had dark blue, officials of the Judge- Advocate's Department crimson, and Engineers of Naval Constructions black velvet fields to their epaulettes, all with silver anchors ; the latter had also black velvet collara Officials ot the Intendance have silver, and those of the Dockyards yellow fields to their epaulettes, with a coat-of-arms and a silver anchor the former having also dark blue velvet collars.

The cockade of the German Navy was the Imperial black, white, and red cockade. The flag was white, divided by a black cross with white edging into four equal fields. In the middle of the cross is a circular field containing the Prussian Eagle. The field in the upper corner next the staff has horizontal stripes of black, white, and red, and had in the middle the Iron Cross.