Werner Lott (3 December 1907 – 2 May 1997) was a 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 ...

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. ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was taken prisoner on 29 November 1939 after his boat was scuttled in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

at position after having been depth-charged by , and . U-35 Memorial Ventry 01

He was famously known for his humanity and being responsible for saving the lives of 28 Greek sailors whose ship he torpedoed; his submarine rescued the sailors who were treated with the utmost decency and landed them safely on a

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

beach in what was one of only two such instances when a German submarine crew risked its own safety to protect the crew of a vessel they torpedoed and sank. Another incident involving Lott happened while a prisoner of war in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

. He complained about the accommodations, and asked to talk to the officer in charge. Instead, he was visited by Lord

Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

, the commander of the flotilla that sank his submarine, who arranged for the Admiralty to allow Lott and his second-in-command to dine at Scott's restaurant on the condition they not try to escape. Lott kept his promise, and was returned to the Tower later that night. A few days later, he and the other officers were moved to the Grizedale P.O.W. camp. Later, the entire crew was moved to P.O.W. camps in Canada. In 1984 he visited the Kerry man, Jimmy Fenton, who catered for the Greek sailors and posed for a photograph shaking his hand.'Submarines in the bog holes': West Kerry's experience of World War II.The Kerryman, 01 October 1999, Historian T Ryle Dwyer
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* * 1907 births 1997 deaths People from East Prussia German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom Recipients of the Iron Cross (1939), 2nd class U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine) Reichsmarine personnel {{germany-navy-bio-stub