At the outbreak of war, Pohl, along with Georg von Müller, the Chief of the Imperial Naval Cabinet, and Friedrich von Ingenohl, the commander of the High Seas Fleet, believed that since the war would be over quickly, the fleet should be preserved intact.
Together, they agreed that the fleet should be restrained to provide local defense of the German coast, rather than seek a decisive battle against the numerically superior British Grand Fleet.
Pohl argued that U-boats should be used to attack British merchant shipping.
He pushed for fewer restrictions on the conduct of the commerce war beginning in late 1914; he further advocated abandoning the cruiser rules that handicapped the German effort, in favor of unrestricted submarine warfare.
He presented his first plans for an unlimited commerce war in November 1914, but these were rejected by the Kaiser and Bethmann-Hollweg so as not to antagonize neutral nations, in particular the United States.

After the Battle of Dogger Bank, Pohl replaced Ingenohl as commander of the High Seas Fleet; throughout his tenure as its commander, Pohl adopted a very cautious strategy in order to preserve the strength of the fleet.
Pohl was a controversial choice to replace Ingenohl, in large part owing to his caution with the employment of the surface fleet.
Two days after taking command, on 4 February 1915, Pohl gave the order to use unrestricted submarine warfare against the Allies; he had managed to convince Bethmann-Hollweg by falsely promising him that U-boat commanders could distinguish between enemy and neutral steamers, and thus avoid provoking the United States.
The policy was short-lived, however, as on 7 May 1915, the U-boat U-20 torpedoed and sank the passenger liner RMS Lusitania, causing a diplomatic crisis with the United States.
To avoid drawing America into the war, Germany reinstated restrictions on the U-boat fleet.

Aboard his flagship, SMS Friedrich der Grosse, Pohl conducted a series of short operations into the North Sea over the course of 1915.
None of these operations ventured outside of the southern end of the North Sea, and the fleet never encountered any British forces.
Pohl became seriously ill from liver cancer on 8 January 1916 and was taken to a hospital ship.
He was subsequently moved to Berlin for surgery.
He was relieved of command due to his poor health on 23 January; his replacement as fleet commander was Reinhard Scheer.
Pohl died a month later, on 23 February.
Shortly before his death, he was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle with oak leaves and swords for his command of the fleet.
In 1920, Pohl's widow Ella published some of his papers in an effort to defend his reputation from postwar criticisms.
At the outbreak of war, Pohl, along with Georg von Müller, the Chief of the Imperial Naval Cabinet, and Friedrich von Ingenohl, the commander of the High Seas Fleet, believed that since the war would be over quickly, the fleet should be preserved intact. Together, they agreed that the fleet should be restrained to provide local defense of the German coast, rather than seek a decisive battle against the numerically superior British Grand Fleet. Pohl argued that U-boats should be used to attack British merchant shipping. He pushed for fewer restrictions on the conduct of the commerce war beginning in late 1914; he further advocated abandoning the cruiser rules that handicapped the German effort, in favor of unrestricted submarine warfare. He presented his first plans for an unlimited commerce war in November 1914, but these were rejected by the Kaiser and Bethmann-Hollweg so as not to antagonize neutral nations, in particular the United States.
After the Battle of Dogger Bank, Pohl replaced Ingenohl as commander of the High Seas Fleet; throughout his tenure as its commander, Pohl adopted a very cautious strategy in order to preserve the strength of the fleet. Pohl was a controversial choice to replace Ingenohl, in large part owing to his caution with the employment of the surface fleet. Two days after taking command, on 4 February 1915, Pohl gave the order to use unrestricted submarine warfare against the Allies; he had managed to convince Bethmann-Hollweg by falsely promising him that U-boat commanders could distinguish between enemy and neutral steamers, and thus avoid provoking the United States. The policy was short-lived, however, as on 7 May 1915, the U-boat U-20 torpedoed and sank the passenger liner RMS Lusitania, causing a diplomatic crisis with the United States. To avoid drawing America into the war, Germany reinstated restrictions on the U-boat fleet.
Aboard his flagship, SMS Friedrich der Grosse, Pohl conducted a series of short operations into the North Sea over the course of 1915. None of these operations ventured outside of the southern end of the North Sea, and the fleet never encountered any British forces. Pohl became seriously ill from liver cancer on 8 January 1916 and was taken to a hospital ship. He was subsequently moved to Berlin for surgery. He was relieved of command due to his poor health on 23 January; his replacement as fleet commander was Reinhard Scheer. Pohl died a month later, on 23 February. Shortly before his death, he was awarded the Order of the Red Eagle with oak leaves and swords for his command of the fleet. In 1920, Pohl's widow Ella published some of his papers in an effort to defend his reputation from postwar criticisms.
Hugo von Pohl