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178 the great country against which she launched her attack, that within a week of the declaration of war her fleet had sunk the enemy and was in undisputed command of the sea, and her army had captured the National Capital and the two leading seaports of the country.

At the very hour when the Mayor of New York received the ultimatum of Admiral Buchner, there dropped anchor in the Narrows the new 54,000-ton liner Bismarck. It was her maiden voyage (duly advertised), and she had on board 10,000 German troops with their full equipment. The next day she was joined by the Imperator and the Valerland, and as soon as the signal "cease firing" had been made from the Koenig, the three great ships, carrying 30,000 troops, or as many as the total regular mobile army in the United States at that hour, steamed to