This biography--the first in English--of the prominent pre-World War I German naval officer Otto von Diederichs examines the evolution of the Imperial German Navy and Diederichs's participation in the Navy's strategic and operational development. When he secured his naval appointment in 1867, the Prussian Navy was little more than a coastal-defense force, but during the course of his naval service, the fleet evolved into the Imperial German Navy whose High Seas Fleet played a major role in the world war.

Known as an expert troubleshooter, Diederichs served variously as a training...