SMS Hildebrand was the fifth vessel of the six-member Siegfried class of coastal defense ships (Küstenpanzerschiffe) built for the German Imperial Navy.

Hildebrand was built by the Kaiserliche Werft (Imperial Shipyard) at Kiel between 1890 and 1893, and was armed with a main battery of three 24-centimeter (9.4 in) guns.

General Leo von Caprivi, the new Chef der Admiralität (Chief of the Admiralty), requested a series of design proposals, which ranged in size from small 2,500 t (2,461-long-ton) coastal defense ships to heavily armed 10,000 t (9,800-long-ton) ocean-going battleships.

Caprivi ordered ten coastal defense ships to guard the entrances to the canal, since even opponents of the navy in the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) agreed that such vessels were necessary.

For defense against torpedo boats, the ship was also equipped with a secondary battery of eight 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK L/30 guns in single mounts.

[3] Hildebrand was modified during construction to serve as a divisional flagship, receiving additional facilities and equipment to support an admiral and his staff.

The ship was commissioned on 28 October 1893 to begin sea trials, though her initial working up period was interrupted by boiler leaks that had to be repaired.

[7] The exercises concluded on 21 September, and the next day, Hildebrand conducted additional trials in the Baltic Sea until 24 October.

She joined II Battle Squadron in early June; the unit at that time also included the screw corvette Stein, the flagship of KAdm Otto von Diederichs, and Hildebrand's sister ships Hagen, Heimdall, and Frithjof.

[5] The ship was recommissioned in 1896 to resume her role as the flagship of IV Division, II Squadron on 9 August for that year's fleet exercises; at that time, the divisional commander was KAdm Walther Koch.

The ship was recommissioned for the 1899 fleet maneuvers, once again serving as the II Squadron flagship under KAdm Hoffmann as of 1 August.

As in previous years, the squadron was disbanded on 21 September, but Hildebrand remained in commission and thereafter cruised the Baltic, visiting ports as far as Helsingfors.

With work on Hildebrand completed by 31 October, Fritze returned to the vessel and KK Christian Schütz replaced Becker as the ship's commander.

[10] Hildebrand remained in the role into 1904; the squadron conducted unit training in mid-1904, followed by a cruise to the Netherlands and Norway in July and August.

The ships participated in the annual maneuvers, but following their conclusion, Fritze permanently transferred his flag to Kaiser Friedrich III on 17 September.

[11] Following the outbreak of World War I in July 1914, Hildebrand and the other coastal defense ships were mobilized to form VI Battle Squadron.

The squadron left Danzig on 21 August for Kiel, where they conducted individual and unit training to prepare their crews for wartime service.

[12] By mid-September, VI Squadron was ready to begin coastal defense patrols in the German Bight, operating primarily in the Jade Bay and the river mouths of Germany's North Sea coast.

On 28 September, Hildebrand came to the assistance of Hagen when the latter had run aground off Voslapp and successfully pulled her sister free.

When the battlecruisers of I Scouting Group conducted the Raid on Yarmouth on 2–3 November, Hildebrand and the other ships were sent to the outer Jade roadstead to cover their return.

Hildebrand was sent to assist the steamship Answald in the outer Jade on 9 December, but was unable to tow her free and instead ran aground herself.

Schmidt von Schwind transferred his flag to Ägir, which replaced Hildebrand as the squadron flagship for the remainder of the unit's existence.

She was sold to the Netherlands for scrapping that year, but ran aground off Scheveningen in a severe storm while en route to the breakers on 21 December.