Waldemar Kophamel (August 16, 1880 – November 4, 1934) was a highly decorated German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

in the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Kophamel joined the Imperial German Navy on 12 April 1898 and started his military education on a ship named . At the start of the First World War Kophamel was a ''Kapitänleutnant'' and commanded . In October 1915 he was promoted to ''Korvettenkapitän'' and in December of that year took command of the

Pola Flotilla The Pola flotilla (''U-Flottille Pola'') was an Imperial German Navy (IGN) formation set up to implement the U-boat campaign against Allied shipping in the Mediterranean during the First World War in support of Germany's ally, the Austro-Hungarian ...

. In July 1917 he returned to sea, in command of U-151 and later . During the war he succeeded sank 55 ships of a total tonnage of , including a large American tanker ''O. B. Jennings'' of 10,289 GRT and a former merchant ship taken up by the Royal Navy as '' HMS Tara'' of 1,862 GRT. He damaged four ships totaling 8,701 GRT, and two warships including .Waldemar Kophamel, Korvettenkapitän
uboat.net One of his notable actions was sinking the US lightship LV-71 off the coast of the United States. The crew, as well as survivors from another of his victims, USS ''Merak'', a freighter seized by the US and assigned to the

Naval Overseas Transportation Service Military Sealift Command (MSC) is an organization that controls the replenishment and military transport ships of the United States Navy. Military Sealift Command has the responsibility for providing sealift and ocean transportation for all US m ...

, escaped the lightship and rowed to shore.US sources differ on whether the U-boat opened fire before or after the crews escaped. ''Compare'
LV-71 Diamond Shoals Lightship
wit

From April 1919 until June 1920, he commanded the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...

. Kophamel was promoted to ''Fregattenkapitän'' on 31 August 1920, the day he left the service. He died in 1934. The submarine tender ''Waldemar Kophamel'' was named in his honor in 1939 and served in the German Navy until sunk by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

on 18 December 1944. After the war, it was raised by the USSR, renamed ''Kuban'', and served with the Soviet Navy until 1978.

Awards and decorations

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

, 4th class (Prussia) *

Lifesaving Medal (Prussia) The Lifesaving Medal (german: Rettungsmedaille am Band) was a civil decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia. Established 1 February 1833, it was awarded to individuals who had saved another person's life, at risk to their own. This medal is referred ...

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

(1914), 1st and 2nd class * Knight's Cross of the Royal

House Order of Hohenzollern The House Order of Hohenzollern (german: Hausorden von Hohenzollern or ') was a dynastic order of knighthood of the House of Hohenzollern awarded to military commissioned officers and civilians of comparable status. Associated with the various ...

with Swords *

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by Frederick the Great, King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Or ...

Hanseatic Cross The Hanseatic Cross (German: ''Hanseatenkreuz'') was a military decoration of the three Hanseatic city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were members of the German Empire during World War I. Each republic established its own version of ...

of Hamburg * Military Merit Cross, 1st class (Mecklenburg-Schwerin)

References

1880 births 1934 deaths People from Grudziądz People from West Prussia U-boat commanders (Imperial German Navy) Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Recipients of the Military Merit Cross (Mecklenburg-Schwerin), 1st class {{germany-navy-bio-stub