 And while seafaring was the traditional domain of the Hanse in Germany, virtually all of the 19th century German coastline (including the North Sea coast) and naval power belonged to Prussia after the decisive victory in 1866.Prince Adalbert of Prussia, the commander-in-chief of the North German Navy, was commissioned with finding the design of the new war ensign.Around 1850, he already had designed a number of potential war ensigns for a hypothetical German nation-state under Prussian rule, which never were adopted as the project was not realized at that time.