November 12, 1872.
East African Navy Lieutenant Colonel Julian and East African port designer Royavis boarded two naval warships bound for Richard's Bay. Julian was a genuine Austrian Navy man. Since Richard's Bay lay far too far from East Africa, Archduke Ferdinand could not possibly go there in person to oversee matters, so he dispatched Julian instead.
Julian stood tall on the bow deck, high-spirited as he watched his little "fleet" ride the wind and cleave the waves. It was an entirely new sensation, one that could never be experienced in the Adriatic Sea. Billowing black smoke drifted northward on the sea breeze.
A navy was meant to gallop freely across the open ocean, not be cooped up in some oversized bathtub in the Adriatic Sea like the Austrian Navy. Still, Julian felt there was something left unfinished. If only he could command an ironclad—that would better embody the romance of a seaman upon the vast sea.
Richard's Bay lay on South Africa's East Coast, with Maputo to the north and Port Durban to the south. East Africa's defensive pressure here was easy to imagine.
Thus, Archduke Ferdinand assigned the Kingdom of East Africa's two active warships to Julian's command. For Julian, who had only just begun to make his mark, this was an unexpected delight.
He had not even managed to become a ship captain in the Austrian Navy, yet after arriving in East Africa, not only had he been promoted, but he now directly commanded two warships.
Of course, most importantly, the East African Navy never withheld wages, and its benefits were better than Austria's. Although its pay was lower than that of the Austrian Navy, the cost of living in East Africa was far lower than in Austria.
The East African Navy had only eight main warships