Kaiten began as the Prussian steam corvette SMS Danzig before severe dry rot led to her decommissioning and removal from the navy list. An English firm bought and renamed the ship Eagle, and the Tokugawa shogunate acquired her in 1864 and armed her with thirteen guns. She later became the flagship of the Ezo naval force despite the age and condition of her wooden hull. The ship's earlier service and repeated sale show how Japanese factions assembled fleets from second-hand foreign vessels rather than purpose-built domestic programs. Major steam-engine work for shogunate ships often depended on Shanghai dry docks, revealing the overseas maintenance network behind their apparent naval strength.
Notable Point · 2:17:19-2:24:33
Kaiten's journey from Danzig to Ezo flagship
The Ezo flagship was a former Prussian steam corvette whose dry rot, resale, and repair history typified Japan's improvised early steam fleets.