Gustav von Senden-Bibran

Castle Reisicht, family home of Senden-Bibran (Alexander Duncker collection).

Gustav Ernst Otto Egon Freiherr (Baron) von Senden-Bibran (23 July 1847, Reisicht, Lower Silesia, Germany – 23 November 1909 in Berlin) was an admiral of the German Imperial Navy.

Biography Senden-Bibran's father was a Silesian landowner who had served in the Austro-Hungarian Cavalry. He entered the Prussian Navy at age 15, never married, and dedicated his life to building a strong German Navy.

After service in the Franco-Prussian War, from 1871 to 1874 Senden-Bibran attended the post-graduate Naval War College, the Marineakademie, along with the future admiral and colleague Otto von Diederichs.

Senden-Bibran was stationed in China, Japan and the South Pacific, the Mediterranean and Constantinople. After a cruise around the world (1881–83) he was given more important commands at home.

He became Naval Adjutant or aide to Kaiser Wilhelm II 1888, and, in 1889, Chief of the German Imperial Naval Cabinet. In both positions he was very valuable for his ability to explain technical matters in a manner that the Kaiser could understand. In 1892, he became Rear Admiral and 1899, finally, Vice Admiral.

Senden-Bibran often came into strong conflict with army and civilian leaders over his naval building plans, but he often won his goals with the support of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who "had nothing but the navy in his head." He made no secret of his goal of building a navy which would wrest world economic and political power from the British. He was accused of having "delusions of grandeur" and little knowledge of the realities of world politics and power. His period of greatest influence was in the 1890, lessening after the triumph of Tirpitz. He was something of a "naval Éminence grise" to the Kaiser, with whom he had a standing appointment to meet on Tuesday mornings, either in Berlin or Potsdam.

His power waned after the appointment of Admiral Tirpitz to the Imperial Naval Office in 1897,

In the controversy over where Germany should seek a base in the Far East, Senden-Bibran preferred Chusan, an island in the mouth of Hangzhou Bay.

He retired from the Naval Cabinet in 1906 in favor of Georg Alexander von Müller.

In 1903 he was made full Admiral and Adjutant General to the Kaiser. He died in 1909.

Honours and awards German orders and decorations

Foreign orders and decorations Commander of the Imperial Order of Leopold, 1889 Grand Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph, 1895 Knight of the Iron Crown, 1st Class, 1900 Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold Grand Cross of the Dannebrog, 3 April 1903 France: Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour Greece: Grand Cross of the Redeemer Grand Cross of Saints Maurice and Lazarus Grand Cross of the Crown of Italy Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class Commander of the Netherlands Lion Order of Osmanieh, 2nd Class Order of the Medjidie, 1st Class Gold and Silver Imtiyaz Medals Grand Cross of the Royal Military Order of Our Lord Jesus Christ Commander of the Star of Romania Knight of the White Eagle Grand Cross of Naval Merit Sweden-Norway: Commander of St. Olav, 1st Class, 2 July 1890 Commander Grand Cross of the Sword, 1895 Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, 23 November 1899