during 1881–1883, palander served as an aide-de-camp to the director of the royal navy shipyard in karlskrona, as well as to the department of sea warfare during 1886–1889. in 1889 he was promoted to commander and in 1893 he was appointed as chief of the supply service ("intendenturavdelningen") for the royal swedish naval materiel administration. in 1896 he was promoted to rear admiral and first aide-de-camp to the king, and subsequently in 1897 appointed as the director of the royal navy shipyard in karlskrona.