SMS Kaiser Barbarossa with of armor plating, and the secondary casemates received of armor protection. Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Emperor of Germany, believed that a strong navy was necessary for the country to expand its influence outside continental Europe. As a result, he initiated a program of naval expansion in the late 1880s; the first battleships built under this program were the four "Brandenburg"-class ships. These were immediately followed by the five "Kaiser Friedrich III"-class battleships, of which "Kaiser Barbarossa" was a member. "Kaiser Barbarossa"s keel was laid down on 3 August 1898, at the Schichau-Werke in Danzig, under construction number 640. She
SMS Kaiser (1874) the first year the German navy completely abandoned the use of sails on its large ironclads. "Kaiser" went into reserve during the 1884 maneuvers, which were conducted by a homogenous squadron composed of the four s. The ship did not see active duty again until August 1887, when she joined "König Wihelm" and as the I Squadron for three weeks of maneuvers with the rest of the fleet. In May 1888, "Kaiser" represented Germany at Barcelona's World Fair, which held a naval review. During the summer of 1889, "Kaiser" joined the fleet that steamed to Great Britain to celebrate the