 Kaiser Wilhelm II , the Emperor of Germany , believed that a strong navy was necessary for the country to expand its influence outside continental Europe . As a result , he initiated a program of naval expansion in the late 1880s ; the first battleships built under this program were the four Brandenburg @-@ class ships . These were immediately followed by the five Kaiser Friedrich III @-@ class battleships , of which Kaiser Barbarossa was a member . Kaiser Barbarossa 's keel was laid down on 3 August 1898 , at the Schichau @-@ Werke in Danzig , under construction number 640 . She was ordered under the contract name " A " as an addition to the fleet . Kaiser Barbarossa was launched on 21 April 1900 . The then @-@ Vizeadmiral ( Vice Admiral ) Alfred von Tirpitz , the State Secretary of the Reichsmarineamt ( RMA — Imperial Navy Office ) , gave the launching speech , and the new battleship was christened by Princess Luise Sofie of Prussia , Wilhelm II 's sister @-@ in @-@ law . Sea trials began on 4 May 1901 , during which two tests were recorded : a 50 @-@ hour endurance test and a 6 @-@ hour speed test . The former produced a sustained speed of 15 @.@ 5 knots ( 28 @.@ 7 km / h ; 17 @.@ 8 mph ) , while the latter saw a maximum speed of 18 knots ( 33 km / h ; 21 mph ) , and on 10 June she was commissioned into the fleet in Kiel . The final cost of the vessel was 20 @,@ 301 @,@ 000 marks . 
