Chapter 89: The Hamburg Oceanic Commercial Trade Fleet
July 1, 1867.
The North German Confederation Constitution officially took effect.
This constitution legally confirmed Prussia's dominance over the political, military, and administrative affairs of northern Germany. It maintained Prussia's supremacy within the federation and the king's absolute authority, all under the guise of democracy.
Legally, northern Germany became Prussia's private domain. Riding this political momentum, Ernst established the Hamburg Oceanic Commercial Trade Fleet.
This fleet comprised eleven vessels—a significant number, considering that prior to German unification, the country only had 4,350 sailboats and 175 steamships officially registered.
When combined with the Hohenzollern overseas fleet based in Trieste in the Mediterranean, Ernst's commercial fleet reached over 50 ships.
Many of these vessels ran routes between the Far East and East Africa, gradually replacing the Dutch merchant ships previously used.
The newly founded Hamburg Oceanic Commercial Trade Fleet had two main roles:
to support long-distance German trade and to help Ernst transport machinery and equipment to East Africa.
Unlike the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the German populace was highly educated and harder to manipulate, so immigration was not its primary mission.
Ernst's vessels were large—bigger ships being more suitable for ocean travel.
His own shipyard in Venice could only build a handful of ships for internal use. Most vessels were purchased from across Europe.
With the rise of steamships—especially ironclads—traditional sailboats dropped in price. Ernst was able to buy many high-quality sailing ships at a bargain.
If you included the ships seized from the Zanzibar Sultanate, Ernst now possessed over sixty large ships.
Alongside the Hamburg fleet, Ernst also founded the new Hohenzollern Shipyard (Hamburg).
To avoid putting all his eggs in one basket, he began restructuring the Venice shipyard operations.
When acquiring the Martin Shipyard, Ernst had already embedded many German workers under his name. These workers would now become the backbone of the Hamburg facility.
Among them were many Chinese interns—students from the Hohenzollern academies—whose futures were essentially sold to the company, destined to work in this industry until retirement.
Shipbuilding had always been a cornerstone of European industry. It required skilled labor and technical education, so experienced shipbuilders were an invaluable asset.
With the coming German unification and its impending economic boom, the Hamburg Oceanic Fleet was sure to expand significantly.
In contrast, the Hohenzollern overseas fleet in Austro-Hungarian waters was less profitable—especially the routes to East Africa, which mostly transported immigrants and rarely turned a profit. The only returns came from local East African exports on the return trip.
The Far East routes were even worse. These vessels carried both people and goods in cramped, unsanitary conditions.
Even chartered Dutch ships operated under the same constraints—immigrants brought no money, so goods had to be transported as well to balance costs.
The Hamburg fleet, however, was focused on profitability. After German unification, the nation's merchant ship numbers doubled, making it one of the world's top powers in oceanic trade.
The Hamburg fleet aimed to capitalize on this surge.
The Hohenzollern Consortium, with its vast network of businesses and banking interests, needed to expand globally.
Transporting German products abroad and importing foreign goods would become highly profitable—being a middleman alone could ensure strong returns.
Aside from profit, the fleet also served another purpose:
to gain experience, technology, and talent for the future of East Africa.
As the Industrial Revolution advanced, shipbuilding technology evolved rapidly.
To stay competitive, Ernst couldn't rely on Venice alone.
Everyone knew the two cores of the Second Industrial Revolution were Germany and the United States.
America was out of reach for Ernst—but Germany was his stronghold.
As a member of the Hohenzollern family, Ernst was firmly embedded within Germany's ruling elite, with his interests deeply tied to the region.
By harnessing Germany's technological boom, Ernst could equip East Africa with the knowledge and skills it needed for future independence.
Germany was the "now." East Africa was the "future."
You couldn't rush the order. Only under Prussian protection could the Hohenzollern Consortium grow strong.
Only when East Africa had enough strength to resist the European scramble for Africa could Ernst safely shift his industrial base there.
Otherwise, he would be handing everything over to rival colonial powers.
Germany served as East Africa's industrial incubator—and would remain so until World War I.
At that time, Germany was reaping the rewards of technological innovation. High-end tech and top-tier talent were things Venice could never compete with.
Even during WWI, the German Navy—though ultimately defeated—was one of the few fleets that could rival Britain at sea.
Besides America, even France lagged behind in naval power.
Germany's rapid naval expansion after unification was backed by its strong education system and the Second Industrial Revolution's technological boom.
If East Africa's shipbuilding industry wanted to share in that growth, it had to first accumulate experience in Germany.
In the future, East Africa was destined to become a maritime power along the Indian Ocean.
It couldn't afford delays in shipbuilding. Since the region currently lacked the capacity to develop its own naval industry, Ernst had to build that foundation in Germany.
East Africa already had four high-quality ports, and with development, shipping demand continued to rise.
New ports would eventually be built—in Kenya, southern Tanzania, and other promising locations.
Also, the large inland lakes would require local ships. Gaining experience and talent now was the right move.
East Africa's lakes were vast. Maritime transport and freshwater fishing depended on ship development.
Lake Victoria, for example, had at least one-fourth the shipping potential of the Great Lakes in North America.
Tanganyika (Soren), Malawi, and Lake Albert (Frederick) all needed surface vessels.
These lakes were deep inland, with major economic and strategic value. Their development required both surface and sub-surface vessel capabilities.
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