The Birth of Brandenburg-Prussia’s Naval Ambitions

The origins of Prussian naval power trace back to the mid-17th century, a period when Brandenburg-Prussia, under the rule of Elector Frederick William (later known as the “Great Elector”), sought to establish its maritime presence. Modern historians often pinpoint 1657 as the foundational year, when Frederick William ordered the arming of several merchant vessels, marking the birth of Prussia’s first naval force.

To assemble this fledgling fleet, the Elector turned to the Netherlands, recruiting seasoned sailors. Among them was Arnold Gisel van Lier, a former Dutch admiral, who became Frederick William’s maritime advisor. In 1658, van Lier proposed an ambitious plan in his Consilium maritimum: unifying the fragmented naval forces of the Holy Roman Empire under the title of “Imperial Admiral.” Though the Elector rejected this visionary idea, it foreshadowed the eventual unification of German naval power under the 19th-century German Empire.

Early Struggles and Colonial Ventures

Frederick William’s naval ambitions extended beyond Europe. In 1682, he established supply stations along the West African coast under the Brandenburg-African Company, a private enterprise funded with 8,000 thalers of his personal wealth. By 1684, Prussia acquired its first fully owned fleet—seven merchant ships purchased for 109,340 thalers—anchored in Königsberg, Pillau, and Emden.

Despite these efforts, Prussia’s early navy remained modest. At Frederick William’s death in 1688, the fleet consisted of 32 vessels (including leased ships) and 300 cannons. Notably, standardized uniforms and weapons were absent; records mention only a blue ceremonial uniform for a land regiment temporarily assigned to naval duties in 1658–59.

Decline and Neglect Under Frederick the Great

The 18th century saw Prussia’s navy wither under rulers who prioritized land forces. Frederick I (1688–1713) downsized the fleet to just five small merchant ships due to financial strain. His successor, the “Soldier King” Frederick William I (1713–1740), dismissed naval affairs as “delusional,” leaving Prussia without a single seaworthy vessel by his reign’s end.

Paradoxically, Frederick the Great (1740–1786), another army-focused monarch, inadvertently laid the groundwork for future naval expansion by acquiring territories like East Frisia and West Prussia, which provided critical coastlines. His only naval contribution was the Coastal Fortilla (1757), a precursor to the coast guard, tasked with repelling Swedish incursions.

Revival and Reform in the Napoleonic Era

The Napoleonic Wars forced Prussia to reconsider its naval neglect. After the disastrous defeats of 1806, Frederick William III (1797–1840) authorized small coastal patrols, such as the 1807 Royal Guard Flotilla, equipped with blue uniforms and swords—though details of their weapons remain unclear.

Post-1815, Prussia gained Swedish Pomerania at the Congress of Vienna, inheriting two naval officers and a handful of ships. By 1816, naval officers wore army-style uniforms with minor distinctions, likely carrying infantry sabers due to the lack of dedicated naval designs.

The Naval Renaissance Under Frederick William IV

The 1840s marked a turning point. Frederick William IV, influenced by his cousin Prince Adalbert of Prussia, embraced modern naval theory. The training ship Corvette Amazone (1843) became a symbol of this shift, with crews outfitted in custom uniforms and hunting-style short swords.

The 1848 Schleswig-Holstein War against Denmark exposed Prussia’s maritime vulnerability, spurring the creation of a Naval Commission. Prince Adalbert’s reforms introduced 20 patrol boats and drafted uniform regulations, though standardized sidearms remained elusive.

The 1849 Naval Saber: A British-Inspired Legacy

Prince Adalbert’s 1849 reforms finally established Prussia’s first official naval saber, modeled after the British 1827 pattern but with ivory hilts instead of fish skin. These rare sabers, etched with maritime motifs, featured brass guards adorned with anchor insignia and lion-head pommels. Manufactured in Solingen and sold by Berlin suppliers like W. Lucas, they symbolized Prussia’s nascent naval identity.

Legacy: From Prussia to Imperial Germany

Prussia’s early naval history—a tale of fits and starts—culminated in the 19th century’s unification era. The 1849 saber, though short-lived, set a precedent for the German Empire’s future naval arms. By 1866, Prussia’s navy, once a patchwork of leased ships and ad hoc flotillas, stood poised to evolve into a force capable of global reach.

This journey from Elector Frederick William’s humble merchant fleet to the dawn of modern naval professionalism reflects Prussia’s broader transformation—a land power learning to navigate the tides of history.