 Her keel was laid in October 1911 and she was launched on 5 May 1913.At her launching ceremony, Prince Oskar of Prussia christened the ship.Due to the heightening political tensions in Europe in mid-1914, the final construction work was accelerated, so the first set of dockyard trials were conducted on 15 July, and fitting-out work was completed by the 30th, the day she was commissioned into the High Seas Fleet.