born April 24, 1876, Wandsbek, Ger.
died Nov. 6, 1960, Kiel, W.Ger.
German naval officer.
After serving as chief of staff to an admiral in World War I, he himself rose to the rank of admiral. As naval commander in chief from 1928, he urged the construction of submarines (forbidden by the Treaty of Adolf Hitler led to his dismissal from supreme command in 1943. He was sentenced to life in prison at the {{link=N%C3%BCrnberg trials">Nürnberg trials , but he was released because of ill health in 1955.