After the Battle of Chesapeake Bay ended, the American Navy indeed no longer dared to stand against the German fleet. Although they still dispatched some small and medium-sized warships and seaplanes to track the German fleet, they kept far away.
Over the following week, the German fleet once again destroyed the ports and shipyards of seven cities on the United States East Coast with developed shipbuilding industries. Only then did the German fleet sail away in triumph.
The East Coast had always been the most developed and prosperous part of the United States, especially in shipbuilding, the vast majority of which was concentrated there. Most shipyards capable of building military vessels—especially Capital Ships and other large warships—were also located on the East Coast. Now, those shipyards had almost all been destroyed by the German fleet. It could be said that the United States' shipbuilding capacity had been weakened by more than eighty percent in one stroke.
Originally, after the German Navy wiped out the American Navy's main force, Germany's naval advantage in the Atlantic Ocean would lead by more than ten years. Now, that advantage would likely expand further to fifteen years. By then, even if the American Navy rebuilt a powerful fleet, the gap between it and the steadily advancing German Navy would probably be enormous. It would become even more difficult for the American Navy to challenge the German Navy in the future.
It was only at this point that the German Navy's strategic objectives had more or less been achieved. Under such circumstances, Oscar instructed Foreign Minister Wachth that they could negotiate peace with the Americans.
Of course, Germany had already reaped every possible advantage in this conflict. Therefore, Oscar did not wish to demand excessively harsh terms. If the two countries truly broke into all-out war,