As regards the development of the fleet itself, we must push on the completion of our battle-fleet, which consists of ships of the line and the usual complement of large cruisers.  It does not possess in its present condition an effective value in proportion to its numbers.  There can be no doubt on this point.  Five of the ships of the line, of the Kaiser class, are quite obsolete, and the vessels of the Wittelsbach class carry as heaviest guns only 24-centimetre cannons, which must be considered quite inadequate for a sea-battle of to-day.  We are in a worse plight with regard to our large cruisers.  The five ships of the Hansa class have no fighting value; the three large cruisers of the Prince class (Adalbert, Friedrich Karl, Heinrich) fulfil their purpose neither in speed, effective range, armament, nor armour-plating.  Even the armoured cruisers Fuerst Bismarck, Roon, York, Gneisenau, and Scharnhorst do not correspond in any respect to modern requirements.  If we wish, therefore, to be really ready for a war, we must shorten the time allowed for building, and replace as rapidly as possible these totally useless vessels—­nine large cruisers and five battleships—­by new and thoroughly effective ships.

Anyone who regards the lowering thunder-clouds on the political horizon will admit this necessity.  The English may storm and protest ever so strongly:  care for our country must stand higher than all political and all financial considerations.  We must create new types of battleships, which may be superior to the English in speed and fighting qualities.  That is no light task, for the most modern English ships of the line have reached a high stage of perfection, and the newest English cruisers are little inferior in fighting value to the battleships proper.  But superiority in individual units, together with the greatest possible readiness for war, are the only means by which a few ships can be made to do, at any rate, what is most essential.  Since the Krupp guns possess a certain advantage—­which is not, in fact, very great—­over the English heavy naval guns, it is possible to gain a start in this department, and to equip our ships with superior attacking power.  A more powerful artillery is a large factor in success, which becomes more marked the more it is possible to distribute the battery on the ship in such a way that all the guns may be simultaneously trained to either side or straight ahead.

Besides the battle-fleet proper, the torpedo-boats play a prominent part in strategic offence and defence alike.  The torpedo-fleet, therefore—­especially having regard to the crushing superiority of England—­requires vigorous encouragement, and all the more so because, so far, at least, as training goes, we possess a true factor of superiority in them.  In torpedo-boats we are, thanks to the high standard of training in the personnel and the excellence of construction, ahead of all other navies.  We must endeavour to