Hans von Koester Hans Ludwig Raimund von Koester ( 29 April 1844 – 21 February 1928 ) was a German naval officer who served in the Prussian Navy and later in the Imperial German Navy . He retired as a Grand Admiral . Career overview . Born Hans Ludwig Raimund Koester in 1844 in Schwerin , Mecklenburg - Schwerin , he entered the Prussian Navy as a " Kadettenanwärter " ( Cadet candidate ) on 21 June 1859 . He had an active seagoing career in the service , which became the Norddeutsche Bundesmarine in 1866 , and then the " Kaiserliche Marine " ( Imperial Navy ) in 1871 . His first command was the naval brig " Undine " , which he took on a 15 - month voyage to North , Central and South America in 1874 - 75 . Promoted to " Korvettenkapitän " ( Lieutenant - Commander ) in 1875 , he was later assigned to various training ships , the latest of which was the " Kreuzerfregatte " ( cruiser - frigate ) " Prinz Adalbert " , which he took on a world cruise from 1878 to 1880 . Koester was promoted to " Kapitän " in 1881 . Appointed commander of the " Segalfregatte " ( sail frigate ) " Niobe " in 1883 , Koester next took command of the " Panzerkorvette " ( armored corvette - later battleship ) " Württemberg " in 1884 . In 1887 he was named commander of the " Panzerfregatte " ( armored frigate - later armored cruiser ) " König Wilhelm " , long the largest ship in the fleet . From 1884 to 1887 he served 2 . 5 years as chief of staff of the German Imperial Admiralty ( " Kaiserliche Admiralität " ) , then headed by " Admiral und General der Infanterie " Leo von Caprivi . In 1887 he became another 2 . 5 years as director of the Kaiserliche Werft Kiel ( Imperial Dockyard ) at Kiel . Then , until 1903 he occupied the post as commander of the Baltic Sea Naval Station in Kiel . In this capacity he strongly encouraged development of Kiel as a naval harbor and garrison town . When Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz presented his plan for a great battle fleet in June 1897 , Koester objected on the grounds that there simply were not the personnel to cover such an expansion of the navy , and that the resources would be much better spent elsewhere . He was promoted to " Kontradmiral " ( Rear Admiral or Commodore ) in 1889 , " Vizeadmiral " in 1892 , and full Admiral in 1897 . It was he , as acting commander in chief in place of a sick Admiral Eduard von Knorr , who sent the German East Asia Squadron commanded by Otto von Diederichs to the Shandong Peninsula area in the fall of 1897 , and who gave the order to take over Kiautschou in November . He was named to the somewhat ceremonial post of " Generalinspekteur der Marine " ( Inspector General of the Navy ) in 1899 , but retained his post as Commander of the Kiel Naval Station until 1903 . In 1900 , he was instrumental in uncovering the poor preparation and staffing of the German Imperial Admiralty Staff under Diederichs , which " was a threat to national security . " However , along with Vice Admiral August von Thomsen ( Commander of the First Naval Division in Wilhelmshaven ) , he strongly opposed the solution Diederichs proposed : a major increase in the size of the Admiralty Staff , the creation of a separate intelligence section , and the removal of the Naval War College ( Marineacademie ) to Berlin . In the meantime , he was raised to the German nobility in 1900 as " Hans von Koester " . On 18 September 1902 he was decorated with the Order of the Black Eagle . Koester was awarded the ' Diamonds ' distinction of this order on 21 June 1909 . Koester became the first active - duty German naval officer to attain the rank of " Grossadmiral " ( Grand Admiral ) on 28 June 1905 ; the previous recipients of this rank were Kaiser Wilhelm II of German and King Oscar II of Sweden ( both in 1901 ) . Named a member for life of the Prussian House of Lords ( Herrenhaus ) on 17 September 1905 , Koester was retired at his own request on 31 December 1906 . Elected president of the Deutsche Flottenverein ( German Fleet Association ) in 1908 , he held this position until October 1919 ; thereafter he was honorary president . In this position he worked closely with Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz to raise public support for the navy by promoting " public theater " with navy related activities such as ship launches , which became extremely elaborate after 1900 . He represented Germany at the Hudson - Fulton Celebration in New York , 25 September - 11 October 1909 . Made an honorary citizen of Kiel on his 70th birthday , 29 April 1914 , Koester worked during the First World War as a delegate of the " Kaiserliche Marine " for health care . In 1916 - 17 he was an advocate of unrestricted submarine warfare . Koester died in Kiel in 1928 at the age of 83 . He was buried in the Nordfriedhof cemetery . ( Saxony )