Imperial German Navy NCO

Great grand-dad was an NCO in the Kaiser's Navy, c. 1880. Any references I can check to find:

1 - His service record?

2 - What the uniforms looked like?

Thanks for any ideas.

[Regulus]

Hi,

Should be possible. About the uniforms I possibly can help you if you can tell me with what part of the Kaiserliche Marine he served. I have drawings on most of the uniforms from that period and some photo's.
His service record. That I have a few doubts about. Will also depend on the unit. Will have to check a few things first or look for adresses in my archive.

Best from Regulus

I'm not familiar with the different parts of the Kaiserlich Marine. I do know that he was an NCO and went to sea on some combattant ships of the time; not sure which ones.
Primarily searching for uniform references. May attempt to render a portrait using that info.

(Get this: My grandparents once had a photo of him in dress uniform w/ pickelhaub, etc. and that photo was sold at a garage-sale 40+ years ago. @#$^* Would kill to have that now!)

[Regulus]

This helps us just a little bit further. Of course problem remains in a way if you do not know what grade of NCO he had in the Imperial Navy. There is an enormous difference between the uniforms of for example a Oberbootsmann, a Obermaschinist, a Steuermann and again with the lower grades of NCO's such for example Maschinistenmaat, (Ober)bootsmannsmaat, Signalmaat, ... Of this last group the uniforms were quite alike and almost identical with the ones of the ordinary sailors (Matrose, Obermatrose, Heizer, Oberheizer,...)
It could be interesting if you had any clue such as one of the ships he was on, when he entered the Imperial Navy, what grade he had. Do you have anything left on him that could be of interest to identify his ship or unit at all ?

Secondly : are you sure about the Pickelhaube on the photo ? Because no Pickelhaubes were used in the Imperial Navy. A Schako in the worst case, most of all with units such as the Seebataillone, which were landbased.

It's rather difficult I know, but hey, don't give up !

You can also launch the question on my Forum that is specialised in the Kaiserliche Marine :

www.voy.com/65298/

You never know, as the biggest specialists on the subject to visit us.

Best from Regulus

Forgive my ignorance here, but is the Seebattallione (sp?) their version of the Marines? If not, might their Marines have worn the pickelhaube?

Would the municipal establishments of the KM seaports have kept any records of KM sailors? I wrote the German Naval Academy a few years ago, and they had no specific info.

The plot thickens...

[Regulus]

Hi,

No Pickelhaubes at all in the Naval Infantry, just the Schako. However seen from the frontside they do look a little like a pickelhaube. Maybe this caused the confusion on it.

Think there is very little chance to find anything at the seaports. Much of the material is in the Freiburg archives.

Concerning the Seebataillone etc I strongly recommend again posting the question on the Forum mentioned, this is something for par example a naval infantry specialist as Peter Wedtrat.

You wrote to a naval academy, was it the one in Mürwik-Flensburg ?

Best from Regulus

Murwik it was. They did send me some nice late 19th century pix of ships that had officers of similar surname. I'm fairly certain that 'Opa' was an NCO, though.
Wilco on the KM site. Thanx!