Reichsmarineamt
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The Reichsmarineamt or RMA was the name of the government department overseeing the German Imperial Navy prior to and during World War I. Formed in 1889, it achieved considerable influence in the early years of the 20th Century under Admiral Tirpitz.
The technical department of the RMA became a nucleus of highly qualified specialists responsible for the design and production of military vessels. During this period the RMA produced a number of innovative prototype gun and ship designs. Isolation from other naval powers led to innovation but also to failure to incorporate important elements such as centralised fire control, which hampered the German fleet at the Battle of Jutland.
After the First World War the fleet was severely reduced under the Treaty of Versailles and the RMA was dissolved in 1919 when the Kaiserliche Marine became the Reichsmarine. The newly formed admirality assumed its functions without being a part of the government as the RMA had been.
The RMA must not be mistaken for the Marineamt of the present German Navy which is serving in a rather different role.
