 Tirpitz akawana nhevedzano yeMitemo yeNaval pakati pa1900 na1912 iyo yakawedzera zvakanyanya bhajeti yezvikepe zvehondo uye yakapa mvumo yezvikepe zvehondo; mutemo wekupedzisira wakafungidzira ngarava dzehondo dzinosvika makumi mana nenomwe, makumi maviri neshanu dzaizove dzakapihwa kuHigh Seas Fleet, neakasara ari muchengeti. Zvichitevera Kaiser Friedrich III kirasi vaiva,, uye es, wokupedzisira pre-dreadnoughts yakavakwa muGermany. Kutanga kwezvombo zvikuru zvose muna 1906 kwakashandura kugadzirwa kwezvikepe zvehondo, uye kwakamanikidza Tirpitz kuchinja zvikuru urongwa hwake hwokuvaka ngarava. Kuti arambe ari munhangemutange yezvikepe zvehondo, Tirpitz akachengetedza mari yezvikepe zvina zveGermany zvinotyisa, iyo, iyo yakaiswa pasi kutanga muna June 1907. MaS mana akatevera muna 1908, pamwe chete nemaS mashanu muna 19091910. Zvikamu zvina zvakaiswa pasi muna 19111912, uye zvikamu zvina zvakaiswa pasi muna 19131915, kunyange zvazvo zviviri bedzi uye zvakapedzwa. Kukundwa kweGermany muna 1918 kwakaguma nokuvharirwa kwechikamu chikuru cheHigh Seas Fleet paScapa Flow; ngarava dzacho dzakazoparadzwamusi wa 21 June 1919 kudzivirira kuti dzisabatwa neBritish Royal Navy. Pazvikepe zvehondo gumi zvakaiswa mujeri, chimwe chete bedzi, Baden, chakadziviswa kunyura; iye gare gare akashandiswa senharidzano yezvombo neRoyal Navy. 