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Alfred
Peter Friedrich von Tirpitz
(19.03.1849 - 06.03.1930)
place of birth: Küstrin, Brandenburg
Königreich
Preußen: Staatssekretär des
Reichsmarineamtes, Großadmiral
Imperial German admiral who was the
architect of his country's pre-War naval buildup.
Began his career in 1865 as a naval officer and rose rapidly to the
rank of rear admiral. He thereafter became Germany's first "Grand
Admiral" and commander of the Germany Navy.
As State Secretary of the Imperial German Naval Office (1897-1916)
he decided the fate of the Empire depended on countering Britain's
navy, which thus lead to his long-range plans to build up the navy with
cruisers and battleships (Navy Bill of 1900). The German fleet cost too
much money to risk during the war, and its minor presence in
combat (Battle of Jutland, 1916) provided
inconclusive results.
Also a strong advocate of unrestricted
submarine warfare, he nonetheless proved to be a less than adequate
leader during the Great War. After the War ended,
he became a member of the Reichstag (1924-28) and
the leader of the right-wing Deutschnationale Volkspartei
(DNVP). Tirpitz was married to Maria Auguste Lipke. The Admiral passed
away on 6 March 1930 Ebenhausen near Munich.
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