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In the aftermath of Germany’s defeat in the Great War many of the institutions that had stood behind the Imperial Navy were swept away. Among these was the Marineakademie und schule Kiel, the naval academy of the Imperial Navy, which was ordered disbanded by the victorious Allies who saw it as the nest of German militarism at sea. With the much reduced size of German naval forces under the Versailles regime and the large pool of redundant officers to select from, the training of new officers suffered a break until 1923, when the Marineschule Mürwik reopened at Flensburg-Mürwik.

The new academy was planned according to new principles, to serve as a four-year academic and naval school for prospective naval officers. Candidates were required to have completed their secondary education and attained an abitur; admission was to be by competitive examination; upon graduation cadets would receive not only their formal commissions, but a degree in science. The course of study for all cadets would include: aeronautical engineering, chemistry, economics, electrical engineering, foreign languages, general engineering and science, history, mathematics, mechanical engineering, philosophy, physics and political science, in addition to the traditional naval skills of leadership, seamanship and navigation.

Kapitän zur See Werner Tillessen was appointed the first commandant of the new academy, and the first cadets were graduated in 1927.