" Ninety-five million marks!" After making his bid, Crown Prince Karl turned to face Pasha Fatih with a look of provocation. The meaning was unmistakable—he was mocking Pasha Fatih's inability to raise such an amount.
Although the Ottoman Empire was still considered a great power, it was no longer the formidable force it had once been, capable of dominating Europe. With the dawn of modernity, the Ottoman Empire had fallen from its status as a world power to become the "sick man of Europe" in the Middle East.
Though the Austro-Hungarian Empire's power was not overwhelming, it was certainly far stronger than that of the Ottoman Empire.
Pasha Fatih's face darkened. Despite the fact that this price far exceeded the actual value of the battleship Louis Leopold Regent, he knew that if he withdrew now, it would irreparably damage the Ottoman Empire's prestige.
However, if he continued to bid, he felt the cost would be far too high. After all, nearly one hundred million marks could build a formidable capital ship, with change to spare.
" Ninety-six million marks!" Pasha Fatih gritted his teeth and raised his bid. He had made up his mind that if Crown Prince Karl increased his bid again, he would withdraw.
As expected, no sooner had Pasha Fatih made his bid than Crown Prince Karl, without even blinking, raised the price once again.
" Ninety-seven million marks!"
Though Crown Prince Karl had only increased the bid by one million marks, Pasha Fatih yielded. He refused to continue bidding, knowing that if he raised his offer further, Crown Prince Karl would simply follow suit. There was no point in engaging in this contest of wills. If the Crown Prince tricked him, he would have no recourse.
" Ninety-seven million marks? Any further bids? If not, the Louis Leopold Regent will belong to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This is a powerful battleship, one of the finest in the world!" Admiral Hippler reiterated, trying once more to stir up interest in other nations to bid. If the price could surpass one hundred million marks, it would be an even greater triumph. After all, the current bid was only three million marks away from that mark.
Yet, no one else made a move. The price had already become absurd. Were it not for Crown Prince Karl's vast wealth, the price would never have climbed so high. After all, ninety-seven million marks already exceeded the cost of the most powerful battleships in the German Navy, such as the Mackensen class.
"Since no one else is bidding, the Louis Leopold Regent is hereby sold to the Austro-Hungarian Empire for ninety-seven million marks!" Admiral Hippler said regretfully.
The five Kaiser class battleships fetched high prices, totaling a staggering 466 million marks. On average, each battleship sold for ninety million marks. Considering these were merely retired ships of the German Navy, such prices were utterly unheard of.
The eighteen capital ships sold by the German Navy fetched an impressive total of 1.22 billion marks—far higher than their original construction costs.
Originally, the German Navy had intended to sell these ships at a low price, hoping to recoup some funds to continue building the twelve battleships and ten battlecruisers acquired from the British. Though such construction would require a significant investment, the Navy believed that the proceeds from selling these ships would cover the costs. No one had anticipated that these retired ships would fetch such high prices. The funds from these auctions would more than cover the costs of constructing the new ships, with some surplus to spare. It was, without a doubt, a pleasant surprise for the German Navy.
After the auction of the capital ships, smaller ships such as armored cruisers, light cruisers, and destroyers were also auctioned off. However, compared to the bidding for the capital ships, the competition for these smaller ships was far less fierce.
In the end, the smaller ships sold for a total of 400 million marks. Combined with the sales of the capital ships, the total came to over 1.6 billion marks—a staggering sum.
Following the auction, representatives from various nations were required to settle their payments within three months, after which they could take their ships home. Germany's approach not only raised substantial funds for itself but also significantly enhanced the naval strength of other countries. Of course, this was not a positive development for world peace. With military power strengthened, the likelihood of conflicts and even war increased.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire undoubtedly emerged as the biggest winner of this auction. They acquired the East Prussia battleship from the Helgoland class, along with three Moltke class battlecruisers and four of the five Kaiser class battleships. With these eight ships, the Austro-Hungarian Navy would become the second most powerful navy in the world, only behind Germany. Until the new generation of battleships from the United States and Japan entered service, no one would be able to challenge their second-place position.
However, this also posed a significant threat to Germany. A stronger Austro-Hungarian Navy would no longer remain confined to the Adriatic Sea. They would have a presence throughout the Mediterranean, which was troubling for the German Navy's Mediterranean fleet. According to plans, the German Mediterranean fleet consisted of only three battlecruisers and four battleships, which was far fewer than the Austro-Hungarian Navy's fleet.
Yet, this did not mean that the Austro-Hungarian Navy would dominate the Mediterranean. In addition to the German Navy, the Ottoman Empire also maintained a fleet of three capital ships. While not as strong as the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the Ottoman fleet still held a certain presence. The Ottoman Empire may not have the capacity to build its own capital ships, but if they were willing to invest, they could easily procure more ships from Germany. Though they had not succeeded in this auction, the Ottoman Empire certainly had the means to do so.
This was merely a temporary factor. Once the German Navy expanded its aircraft carrier fleet and began deploying carrier strike groups to the Mediterranean, it would quickly neutralize the Austro-Hungarian Navy's numerical advantage.