Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger (Wilhem Otto Walther Schwieger) (7 April 1885 – 5 September 1917) was a

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 ...

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

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 ...

(''Kaiserliche Marine'') during

First World War 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 ...

. In 1915, he sank the passenger liner with the loss of 1,198 lives.

Military career

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 . After the outbreak of World War I in 1914 he was promoted to ''

Kapitänleutnant ''Kapitänleutnant'', short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( en, captain lieutenant) is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the German Bundeswehr. The rank is rated OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to Hauptmann in the Heer and ...

'' and given command of the . On 7 May 1915, Schwieger was responsible for ''U-20'' sinking passenger liner leading to the deaths of 1,198 people, an event that played a role in the United States' later entry into

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 ...

. He also torpedoed SS ''Hesperian'' on 4 September 1915 and on 8 May 1916. On 31 May 1917, his U-boat sank the ''

Miyazaki Maru was an 8,520-ton Japanese ocean liner built in 1909 by Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Ltd. in Kobe. While steaming from Yokohama, Japan, to London during World War I, she was sunk in the Atlantic Ocean to the west of the Isles of Scilly on 31 May 191 ...

'' 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 was sunk by the British

Q-Ship Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, decoy vessels, special service ships, or mystery ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open f ...

HMS ''Stonecrop''.''The Killing Time'' E.A. Gray pp. 137–138 It sank north of

Terschelling Terschelling (; fry, Skylge; Terschelling dialect: ''Schylge'') is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland. Wadden Islanders are k ...

at 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 . Schwieger was represented in the docudrama "Lusitania: Terror At Sea" in 2007, where he was played by actor

Florian Panzner Florian Panzner (born 20 July 1976) is a German actor who has been active since 1999. Life and career Panzner studied at the University of Film and Television Potsdam-Babelsberg. In 2000, he played the role of Truffaldino in the comedy ''The S ...

References

External links

Maritimequest U-20 Photo Gallery
1885 births 1917 deaths Military personnel from Berlin People from the Province of Brandenburg U-boat commanders (Imperial German Navy) RMS Lusitania Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) German military personnel killed in World War I People who died at sea Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I {{germany-navy-bio-stub