Post-war Life
Following the German defeat in World War I, Hipper retired on 13 December 1918 from the navy and lived a quiet life; he received a full war pension. During the chaos of the German Revolution of 1918–1919, Hipper hid from radical revolutionaries by assuming a false name and moving frequently. He wrote a letter to Adolf von Trotha, the new fleet commander, expressing his approval of the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919. After the revolution was over, Hipper moved to a house in Altona near Hamburg.
Unlike his superior, Reinhard Scheer, Hipper never wrote a memoir of the war or his participation in the Imperial Navy. He briefly dabbled in conservative political movements in the 1920s but never committed to any. Franz von Hipper died on 25 May 1932; he was cremated and was buried in his hometown of Weilheim, according to his wishes. On hearing of Hipper's death, his old adversary David Beatty said, "I am very sorry. One would like to express one's regrets for the passing of a gallant officer and a great sailor." In 1938, the German navy, which had been expanded by the Nazi party, launched the new heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper in commemoration of its namesake.
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