Ordered under the contract name Ersatz Hildebrand as a replacement for the obsolete coastal defense ship Hildebrand,[1][lower-alpha 2] Kaiser was laid down at the Imperial Dockyard in Kiel in September 1909.[2] The hull was completed by 22 March 1911, when the ship was launched; this date was specifically chosen, as it was the birthday of Kaiser (Emperor) Wilhelm I. His grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II, attended the launching ceremony,[3] where German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg gave a speech while Kaiserin (Empress) Augusta Victoria christened the ship.