Career
Rickover"s translation became a basic text for the United States submarine service. Bauer joined the Kaiserliche Marine as a cadet in April 1892, completing his basic training aboard the sailing frigate SMS Stosch, before attending the Naval Academy in 1892-1893. He continued his training on the ship SMS Moltke and the cruiser SMS Deutschland.
After a second period of study at the Naval Academy in 1894-1895 Bauer was promoted to Unterleutnant zur See on 15 September 1895 and subsequently served on the battleship SMS Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm.
In 1897 Bauer served on the frigate SMS Preussen before transferring to the light cruiser SMS Prinzess Wilhelm as a deck officer On 12 April 1899 he was promoted to Leutnant zur See and then served as watch officer on the torpedo training ship SMS Blücher.
From October 1900 to September 1903, he served as a company officer, deck officer, first officer, and then the commander of the World War II Torpedo-Abteilung ("2nd Torpedo Division"). Bauer served for more than a year as commander of the World War II Torpedo-Abteilung, and was simultaneously commander of Torpedodivisionsbootes D9, Flag Lieutenant of World War II Torpedobootsflottille, and Flag Lieutenant and commander of the torpedo boat S125.
On 1 April 1904 he was promoted to Kapitänleutnant.
Between October 1906 and September 1908 Bauer served in the shipbuilding department of the Reichsmarineamt, and subsequently served as a navigation officer aboard the cruiser SMS Gneisenau. He was promoted to Korvettenkapitän on 16 October 1909. He served as first officer of the battleship SMS Schlesien for a year, then spent two and a half years as adjutant of the Imperial Shipyard at Wilhelmshaven.
Between November 1913 and March 1914 Bauer commanded the light cruiser SMS Hamburg.
He was then transferred to the U-boat arm, where he served as commander of I. Unterseebootsflottille, and during World War I served as Führer der Unterseeboote ("Commander of Submarines") until 4 June 1917, and as such was promoted to Fregattenkapitän on 16 April 1915. On 24 July 1917 he was appointed commander of the battleship SMS Westfalen and on 14 October 1917 was promoted to Kapitän zur Secretary
Bauer took command of the battleship SMS Kaiser on 5 August 1918, and shortly before the war"s end also commanded the battleships SMS Oldenburg and SMS Nassau. Between December 1918 and March 1919 Bauer returned to command of the World War II Torpedo-Abteilung, before moving to the Naval Dockyard at Wilhelmshaven, at first serving as equipment manager, then from October 1919 as director, and as such was promoted to Konteradmiral (rear admiral) on 1 April 1922.
From June to September 1923 Bauer was chief of the General Office of the Navy in the Naval High Command.
On 1 October 1923 he was promoted to command of the Marinestation der Nordsee and in that capacity was promoted to Vizeadmiral (vice admiral) on 1 February 1925. On 5 October 1928 Bauer was appointed Chief of the Naval Command, but on 30 November 1928, on his promotion to Admiral, he retired. Bauer declared himself available to the Navy on 25 July 1939, but was not called up for active military service.