Walther Schwieger
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Walther Schweiger (April 7, 1885 Berlin -September 17, 1917 North Sea) was a German submarine commander during the First World War.
In the year 1903 he joined the German Imperial Navy. From 1911 onwards he served with the U-boatwaffe. In 1912 he took over the command of the U14. After the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 he was promoted to Kapitänleutnant (captain second lieutenant) and given command of the U-20.
On May 7, 1915, Schweiger was responsible for the U-boat's torpedoing of the passenger liner RMS Lusitania leading to the deaths of 1,198 people, an event played a role in the United States' later entry into the First World War.
He would torpedo the Hesperian on September 4, 1915, and the Cymric on May 8,1916. He was killed when his submarine hit a British mine and sank on September 17, 1917 north of Terschelling.
By the time of his death, Walther Schweiger had sunk 49 ships with 183.883 GRT with three submarines on 34 missions. He was the sixth most successful submarine commander of the First World War.
[edit] Honours
- Iron cross 1st and 2nd Class
- Pour le Merite (30 July 1917)
