Walther Schwieger
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| Walther Schwieger | |
|---|---|
| April 7, 1885 - September 17, 1917 | |
 Walther Schwieger |
|
| Place of birth | Berlin |
| Place of death | North Sea |
| Allegiance | German Empire |
| Service/branch | Kaiserliche Marine |
| Years of service | 1903 - 1917 |
| Rank | Kapitänleutnant |
| Commands held | U-14, Aug 1, 1914 – Dec 15, 1914 U-20, Dec 16, 1914 – Nov 5, 1916 U-88, Jul 23, 1916 – Sep 5, 1917 |
| Battles/wars | Battle of the Atlantic (1914-1918) |
| Awards | Iron Cross 1st class Pour le Mérite |
Walther Schwieger (April 7, 1885, Berlin - September 5, 1917, North Sea) was a German U-boat commander during the First World War.
In the year 1903 he joined the Kaiserliche Marine and from 1911 onwards he served with the U-boatwaffe. In 1912 he took over the command of the U-14. After the outbreak of World War I in 1914 he was promoted to Kapitänleutnant and given command of the U-20.
On May 7, 1915, Schwieger was responsible for U-20's torpedoing of the passenger liner RMS Lusitania leading to the deaths of 1,198 people, an event that played a role in the United States' later entry into World War I. He would also torpedo the SS Hesperian on September 4, 1915, and the SS Cymric on May 8, 1916.
Schwieger was killed when his U-boat, U-88, was chased by HMS Stonecrop, hit a British mine, and sank on September 5, 1917 north of Terschelling.
By the time of his death, Schwieger had sunk 49 ships with 183.883 gross register tons (GRT) with three submarines on 34 missions. He was the sixth most successful submarine commander of World War I. His body remains entombed in U-88.
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