Franz Ritter von Hipper (13 September 1863 – 25 May 1932) was an
admiral in the
German Imperial Navy (
Kaiserliche Marine). Franz von Hipper joined the German Navy in 1881 as an officer cadet. He commanded several
torpedo boat units and served as
watch officer aboard several warships, as well as
Kaiser Wilhelm II's yacht . Hipper commanded several cruisers in the reconnaissance forces before being appointed commander of the I Scouting Group in October 1913. He held this position until 1918, when he succeeded Admiral
Reinhard Scheer as commander of the
High Seas Fleet.