Torpedo expertise won Scheer Tirpitz's backing

Scheer developed a strong reputation in torpedo research and doctrine, leading Tirpitz to bring him into the Imperial Naval Office. Backing from both Tirpitz and Holtzendorff cleared a path through a rapidly expanding service with tight budgets and political pressures. Very few officers enjoyed the confidence of two leaders who disagreed so sharply about the navy. That unusual double patronage also meant that Scheer's strategic ideas often attempted to reconcile their visions rather than beginning from an independent framework.