Alexander von Monts

(1818-1896)

German admiral

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Alexander Graf von Monts de Mazin (born 9 August 1832 in Berlin; died 19 January 1889) was an officer in the Prussian Navy and later the German Imperial Navy. He saw action during the Second Schleswig War at the Battle of Jasmund on 17 March 1864 as the commander of the paddle steamer SMS Loreley. He served in a variety of roles through the 1860s and 1870s, including as the commander of the ironclad SMS Grosser Kurfürst, which sank after being rammed accidentally by the ironclad König Wilhelm on the former's maiden voyage in May 1875. Monts was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing in four courts-martial held by the chief of the Admiralty, Albrecht von Stosch in an attempt to drive him from the navy. In 1883, Stosch was replaced by Leo von Caprivi, who appointed Monts the chief of the North Sea Naval Station. In 1888, he became the third chief of the Admiralty after Caprivi retired, though Monts remained in the position for just six months before he died.