The Imperial German Navy ensign
The Imperial German Navy, also known as the Kaiserliche Marine, was the navy of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The navy's original goal was to defend the German coast, but Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany rapidly increased the size of the navy and enlarged its mission. The navy became the second-largest navy in the world, closely following the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The navy would be destroyed during World War I, with many of its ships being scuttled at Scapa Flow in 1919 after the navy suffered a crippling defeat at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. The navy would be replaced by the Reichsmarine in 1918.