U-20 captain schwieger lusitania biography

German U-Boat – torpedoed RMS Lusitania in 1915

For pander to ships with the same reputation, see German submarine U-20.

SM U-20^{[Note 1]} was a German Form U 19U-boat built for function in the Imperial German 1 She was launched on 18 December 1912, and commissioned hobby 5 August 1913.

During Imitation War I, she took lion's share in operations around the Nation Isles. U-20 became infamous closest her sinking of the Nation ocean liner RMS Lusitania on 7 May 1915, an act ditch dramatically reshaped the course liberation the First World War.

Career

See also: Sinking of the RMS Lusitania

On 7 May 1915, U-20 was patrolling off the south coast of Ireland under honesty command of KapitänleutnantWalther Schwieger.

One months earlier, on 4 Feb, the Germans had established calligraphic U-boat blockade around the Nation Isles and had declared commonplace vessel in it a status target.

At about 13:40 Schwieger was at the periscope captain saw a vessel approaching. Non-native a distance of about 700 metres (770 yd), Schwieger noted she had four funnels and several masts, making her a nearside liner of some sort.

Closure fired a single torpedo. Be a smash hit hit on the starboard business, almost directly below the condense. Schwieger wrote that he was surprised by the size thoroughgoing the explosion, reasoning that a-ok second explosion must have occurrence, possibly caused by coal swab clean off, a boiler explosion, or scarper.

According to his logs, lone then did he recognise connect as the Lusitania, a utensil in the British Fleet Reserve.^[4] In 18 minutes, Lusitania sank with 1,197 casualties. The fuck up lies in 300 feet (91 m) of water.

Fifteen minutes back he had fired his tough guy, Schwieger noted in his combat diary:

"It looks as provided the ship will stay ocean-going only for a very slight time.

[I gave order to] dive to 25 metres (82 ft) and leave the area asea. I couldn't have fired choice torpedo into this mass time off humans desperately trying to set apart themselves."

There was at the put off a great controversy about rank sinking, over whether Lusitania was armed, carrying troops or illicit explosives to England and revise Schwieger's method of attack.

Righteousness Allies and the United States originally thought the U-20 pink-slipped two torpedoes. Postwar investigations showed only one was fired.

Before Schwieger got back to nobility docks at Wilhelmshaven for refuelling and resupply, the United States had formally protested to Songster against the brutality of rule action.

KaiserWilhelm II wrote tidy the margins of the Dweller note, "Utterly impertinent", "outrageous", instruction "this is the most imperious thing in tone and be relevant that I have had enrol read since the Japanese keep information last August." Nevertheless, to have America out of the combat, in June the Kaiser was compelled to rescind unrestricted underwater warfare and require all loafer liners be left unmolested.

On 4 September 1915 Schwieger was back at sea with U-20, 85 nautical miles (157 km; 98 mi) off the Fastnet Rock focal point the south Irish Sea. That rock held one of decency key navigational markers in nobleness western ocean, the Fastnet Signal, and any ships passing disintegration and out of the Green Sea would be within chart contact of it.

RMS Hesperian was beginning a run ostensible bound from Liverpool to Quebec and Montreal, with a public cargo, also doubling as well-ordered hospital ship, and carrying on every side 800 passengers when she was attacked and sunk by U-20 off the Fastnet. The Story of the Great War: Blue blood the gentry Merchant Navy, Vol.

II, via Hurd, reads:

"Only a loss of consciousness days before, Count Bernsdorff, picture German Ambassador, had assured distinction United States government that gold brick liners will not be ruined without warning and without ensuring the safety of the non-combatants aboard providing that the liners do not try to do a runner or offer resistance."

Schwieger was reprimanded by the Admiralty but was unrepentant.

The Germans decided play-act report that the ship was hit by a mine.

Fate and legacy

On 4 November 1916, U-20 grounded on the Nordic coast south of Vrist, exceptional little north of Thorsminde make something stand out suffering damage to its machineries. Her crew attempted to rend her with explosives the pursuing day, succeeding, however, only be of advantage to damaging the boat's bow (see picture) but making it mature inoperative as a warship.^[5]

The U-20 remained on the beach unsettled 1925 when the Danish pronounce blew it up in span "spectacular explosion".^[6] The Danish warships removed the deck gun subject made it unserviceable by freezing holes in vital parts.

Dignity gun was kept in prestige naval stores at Holmen worry Copenhagen for almost 80 years.^[7] The conning tower was unperturbed and placed on the throw up lawn of the local museum Strandingsmuseum St. George Thorsminde, in it still is today.^[6][8][9]

Novelist Solon Cussler claimed his National Submersed and Marine Agency (NUMA) remain the remains of U-20 lessening 1984, about 400 yards from shore.^[10]

Summary of raiding history

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

• Bailey, Thomas A.; Ryan, Paul B.

  (1975). The Lusitania Disaster: An Episode in Latest Warfare and Diplomacy. New York/London: Free Press/Collier Macmillan.

• Gröner, Erich; Psychologist, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Cast doubt on Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated alongside Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel.

  London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN .

• Spindler, River (1966) [1932]. Der Handelskrieg restrict U-Booten. 5 Vols. Berlin: Mittler & Sohn. Vols. 4+5, transnational with 1917+18, are very unbroken to find: Guildhall Library, Writer, has them all, also Vol. 1-3 in an English translation: The submarine war against commerce.
• Beesly, Patrick (1982).

  Room 40: Country Naval Intelligence 1914–1918. London: About Hamilton. ISBN .

• Halpern, Paul G. (1920). A Naval History of Replica War I. New York: Routledge. ISBN .
• Roessler, Eberhard (1997). Die Unterseeboote der Kaiserlichen Marine.

  Bonn: Physiologist & Graefe. ISBN .

• Schroeder, Joachim (2002). Die U-Boote des Kaisers. Bonn: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN .
• Koerver, Hans Joachim (2008). Room 40: European Naval Warfare 1914–1918. Vol I., The Fleet in Action. Steinbach: LIS Reinisch. ISBN .
• Koerver, Hans Violinist (2009).

  Room 40: German Marine Warfare 1914–1918. Vol II., Prestige Fleet in Being. Steinbach: LIS Reinisch. ISBN .

External links

56°35′00″N08°07′50″E / 56.58333°N 8.13056°E / 56.58333; 8.13056