History of the North Sea the North Sea though they saw little action. The Austro-Prussian War (1866) resulted in Prussia's gaining full control of the Kiel Canal, allowing their Baltic ports access to the North Sea. France declared war on Prussia 19 July 1870 which initiated the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). The French Navy was, at the time far larger and superior to the North German Federal Navy, the Navy of the North German Confederation. Though the French did take a number of merchant ships bound to and from North Germany, shortages of manpower and coal, as well as conflicting orders, made the attempted blockade of
White Sea–Baltic Canal Sea Canal's structures. Work began on the gradual electrification of the canal's structures and machinery. In 1953, the locks' staff started including electricians; by 1957, the electrification of the locks of the northern slope of the canal was completed, and by 1959 all coastal and floating navigation lights were switched to electric power. The importance of White Sea–Baltic Canal for the national economy greatly increased after the commissioning of the modern Volga-Baltic Waterway in 1964. Canal capacity and the annual volume of freight traffic increased several-fold. Another upgrade of the canal took place in the 1970s. During the reconstruction, the