Otto Hersing

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 4/03)

Successes
36 ships sunk with a total of 79,005 GRT
4 warships sunk with a total of 34,575 tons
2 ships damaged with a total of 8,918 GRT

Born:	30 Nov 1885	Mülhausen
Died:	5 Jul 1960	Oldenburg

Ranks

1 Apr 1903		Seekadett
15 Apr 1904		Fähnrich zur See
28 Sep 1906		Leutnant zur See
13 Mar 1909		Oberleutnant zur See
16 Dec 1914		Kapitänleutnant
1 Feb 1922		Korvettenkapitän
31 Jul 1924		Out of naval service

Decorations

		Iron Cross 2nd class
		Iron Cross 1st class
		Iron Half Moon
		Hanseatic Cross
5 Jun 1915		Pour le Mérite
1918 or later		Albert Order (Saxony)

U-boat Commands

U 21

22 Oct 1913

31 Aug 1918

Notes

Hersing was known amongst his collegues as the "Zerstörer der Schlachtschiffe" - destroyer of battleships. His first victim was HMS Pathfinder, a light cruiser of 2,940 tons which he torpedoed off St. Abb's Head on the east coast of Scotland on the 5th September 1914 with U21. In early 1915 he was ordered to the Mediterranean to give a hard time to British who had landed at Gallipoli.

The Battleship HMS Triumph, sunk by Otto Hershing on 25 May 1915

Hersing's first victim was the battleship HMS Triumph of 11,985 tons which he sank off Gaba Tepe on the 25th May, while the ship was bombarding the Turkish lines. Two days later he sank the HMS Majestic, another battleship conducting fire support off the Gallipoli peninsula.

The Battleship HMS Majestic, sunk by Otto Hershing on 27 May 1915

For these actions awaited him on his return to the fatherland the Pour le Mérite. On the 4th of July he sank the Carthage, a French auxiliary cruiser of 5,601 GRT near Cap Helles, Turkey. On the 8th February 1916, U21 sank the French cruiser Amiral Charner of 4,750 tons off the Syrian coast.

Hersing survived the war and seems to have started cultivating potato's in the countryside!

Ships hit by Otto Hersing

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Type of ship	Tons

5 Sep 1914	U 21	Pathfinder (hms)	Light cruiser	2,940	br
23 Nov 1914	U 21	Malachite	Steamer	718	br
26 Nov 1914	U 21	Primo	Steamer	1,366	br

30 Jan 1915	U 21	Ben Cruachan	Steamer	3,092	br
30 Jan 1915	U 21	Kilcoan	Steamer	456	br
30 Jan 1915	U 21	Linda Blanche	Steamer	369	br
25 May 1915	U 21	Triumph (hms)	Battleship	11,985	br
27 May 1915	U 21	Majestic	Battleship	14,900	br
4 Jul 1915	U 21	Carthage	Passenger steamer	5,601	fr

1 Feb 1916	U 21	Belle Of France	Steamer	3,876	br
8 Feb 1916	U 21	Admiral Charner	Armored cruiser	4,750	fr
30 Apr 1916	U 21	City Of Lucknow	Steamer	3,669	br
26 Oct 1916	U 21	Marina G.	Sailing vessel	154	it
28 Oct 1916	U 21	Gilda R.	Sailing vessel	37	it
28 Oct 1916	U 21	Tre Fratelli D.	Sailing vessel	190	it
31 Oct 1916	U 21	Glenlogan	Steamer	5,838	br
1 Nov 1916	U 21	Bernardo Canale	Steamer	1,346	it
1 Nov 1916	U 21	Torero	steamer	767	it
2 Nov 1916	U 21	San Antonio O.	Sailing vessel	113	it
3 Nov 1916	U 21	San Giorgio	Sailing vessel	258	it
23 Dec 1916	U 21	Benalder (d.)	Steamer	3,044	br

16 Feb 1917	U 21	Mayola	Sailing vessel	146	br
16 Feb 1917	U 21	Rose Dorothea	Sailing vessel	147	br
17 Feb 1917	U 21	Emilia IÂ°	Sailing vessel	25	pt
17 Feb 1917	U 21	Lima	Sailing vessel	108	pt
20 Feb 1917	U 21	Cacique	Steamer	2,917	fr
22 Feb 1917	U 21	Bandoeng	Steamer	5,851	nl
22 Feb 1917	U 21	Eemland	Steamer	3,770	nl
22 Feb 1917	U 21	Gaasterland	Steamer	3,917	nl
22 Feb 1917	U 21	Jacatra	Steamer	5,373	nl
22 Feb 1917	U 21	Noorderdijk	Steamer	7,166	nl
22 Feb 1917	U 21	Normanna	Steamer	2,900	nw
22 Feb 1917	U 21	Zaandijk	Steamer	4,189	nl
22 Feb 1917	U 21	Menado (d.)	Steamer	5,874	nl
22 Apr 1917	U 21	Giskö	steamer	1,643	nw
22 Apr 1917	U 21	Theodore William	Steamer	3,057	nw
29 Apr 1917	U 21	Askepot	Sailing vessel	1,793	nw
30 Apr 1917	U 21	Borrowdale	Sailing vessel	1,268	ru
3 May 1917	U 21	Lindisfarne	Sailing vessel	1,703	ru
6 May 1917	U 21	Adansi	Steamer	2,644	br
8 May 1917	U 21	Killarney	Sailing vessel	1,413	br
27 Jun 1917	U 21	Baltic	Barge	1,125	sw
				122,498
40 ships sunk (113,580 tons) and 2 ships damaged (8,918 tons). Legend (d.) means the ship was damaged. We have a picture of this vessel.