Raeder was the captain of Kaiser Wilhelm II's private yacht in the years leading up to World War I. In itself, this was not a rewarding post, but often people in this post were quickly promoted afterwards.
Raeder adalah kapten yacht pribadi Kaisar Wilhem II pada saat-saat sebelum Perang Dunia I. Posisi itu bukanlah posisi penghargaan, tetapi orang-orang di posisi itu sering cepat dipromosikan setelahnya.