WWI U-boat commanders

Bernd Wegener

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 4/03)

Successes
10 ships sunk with a total of 31,120 GRT
2 warships sunk with a total of 6,325 tons

Born:22 May 1884 Rendsburg 
Died:19 Aug 1915 off S Ireland 

Bernd Wegener

Ranks

1 Apr 1903 Seekadett
15 Apr 1904 Fähnrich zur See
28 Sep 1906 Leutnant zur See
12 Sep 1908 Oberleutnant zur See
19 Sep 1914 Kapitänleutnant

Decorations

November 1914  Iron Cross 2nd class
November 1914  Iron Cross 1st class

U-boat Commands

U 278 May 1914 - 19 Aug 1915 (+)

Notes

Bernd Wgener was born in 1884. Entered as a Seekadett in the Kaiserliche Marine in 1903. 1914 promoted Kapitänleutnant and CO of U27. In November 1914 awarded the Eisernes Kreuz 1 Klasse. Sank the British submarine E3 on the 18 October 1914 off Borkum Island. On the 31st followed the HMS Hermes in Dover Straits. Hermes (5,600 BRT) was originally a light cruiser, but was used as a Seaplane carrier.

The Baralong incident

He left on the 1 August 1915 for his last patrol. On 19 August he was attacking the Nicosian, a steamer of which all hands had left the ship, and was attacked by the British Q ship Baralong, which was using the US colors to get near her, only hoisting the proper British colors at the moment she attacked U27. The U-boat was shot to pieces. Six survivors, amongst whom Wegener, tried to save themselves by trying to get on board the Nicosian.

Sources do not agree with each other, some say they were shot in the water, others say that they were shot on board of the Nicosian. One way or another it was murder by the crew of the Baralong. In a number of British books on the submarine war you can even read that it was revenge for the Lusitania (sunk 3 months earlier). The sinking of the Arabic earlier the same day by U 24 with Baralong unable to assist probably did not help the Germans on U 27 either.

In 1938 the new 7th U-boat Flotilla being founded at Kiel was named in Wegener's honor.

Ships hit by Bernd Wegener

DateU-boat Name of shipType of shipTonsNat.
 
18 Oct 1914 U 27  E 3Submarine725br
31 Oct 1914 U 27  HermesSeaplane carrier5,600br
 
11 Mar 1915 U 27  BayanoArmed merchant cruiser5,948br
13 Mar 1915 U 27 HartdaleSteamer3,839br
18 May 1915 U 27 DrumcreeSteamer4,052br
19 May 1915 U 27  DumfriesSteamer4,121br
21 May 1915 U 27 GlenholmSailing vessel1,968br
18 Aug 1915 U 27 Ben VrackieSteamer3,908br
18 Aug 1915 U 27  GladiatorSteamer3,359br
18 Aug 1915 U 27 MagdaSteamer1,063nw
18 Aug 1915 U 27 SverresborgSteamer1,144nw
19 Aug 1915 U 27 Pena CastilloSteamer1,718sp
 37,445
12 ships sunk (37,445 tons).


Legend
We have a picture of this vessel.

Media links


Kaiserliche Marine U-Boote 1914-1918

Dufeil, Yves

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