Summary
Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger (Wilhem Otto Walther Schwieger) (7 April 1885 – 5 September 1917) was a U-boat commander in the Imperial German Navy (Kaiserliche Marine) during First World War. In 1915, he sank the passenger liner RMS Lusitania with the loss of 1,199 lives.
Walther Schwieger | |
|---|---|
 Kapitänleutnant Walter Schwieger (1917) | |
| Born | 7 April 1885 Berlin, German Empire |
| Died | 5 September 1917 (aged 32) North Sea, off Terschelling, Netherlands |
| Allegiance |  German Empire |
| Service/ |  Imperial German Navy |
| Years of service | 1903–17 |
| Rank |  Kapitänleutnant |
| Commands held | U-14, 1 August – 85 December 1914 U-20, 16 December 1914 – 5 November 1916 U-88, 23 July 1916 – 5 September 1917 |
| Battles/wars | U-boat Campaign (World War I) |
| Awards | Pour le Mérite |
Military career edit
In 1903 he joined the Imperial German Navy and from 1911 onwards he served with the U-boat Service. In 1912 he took over the command of the U-14. After the outbreak of World War I in 1914 he was promoted to Kapitänleutnant and given command of the U-20.
On 7 May 1915, Schwieger was responsible for U-20 sinking passenger liner RMS Lusitania leading to the deaths of 1,199 people, an event that played a role in the United States' later entry into World War I. He also torpedoed RMS Hesperian on 4 September 1915 and SS Cymric on 8 May 1916. On 31 May 1917, his U-boat U-88 sank the Miyazaki Maru during that ship's voyage from Yokohama to London, causing the loss of eight lives.
Schwieger was killed in action on 5 September 1917. His U-boat U-88 was sunk by the British Q-Ship HMS Stonecrop.[1] It sank north of Terschelling at 53°57′N 4°55′E / 53.950°N 4.917°E with the loss of all hands.
During his wartime career, Schwieger captained three different submarines, on a total of 34 missions. He sank 49 ships, measuring 183,883 gross register tons (GRT). Schwieger was represented in the docudrama "Lusitania: Terror At Sea" in 2007, where he was played by actor Florian Panzner.
References edit
- ^ The Killing Time E.A. Gray pp. 137–138[ISBN missing]
External links edit
- Maritimequest U-20 Photo Gallery
