Ralph Wenninger

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 4/07)

Successes
98 ships sunk with a total of 102,635 GRT
7 ships damaged with a total of 27,849 GRT
1 ship taken as prize with a total of 0 GRTNo ships sunk or damaged

Born:	22 Apr 1890	München (Munich)
Died:	13 Mar 1945	Italy

Ranks

3 Apr 1907		Seekadett
21 Apr 1908		Fähnrich zur See
28 Sep 1910		Leutnant zur See
27 Sep 1913		Oberleutnant zur See
16 Nov 1917		Kapitänleutnant
1 Apr 1926		Korvettenkapitän
1 Oct 1931		Fregattenkapitän

Decorations

		Iron Cross 2nd class
		Iron Cross 1st class
		Military Merit Order (Bavaria)
29 Mar 1916		Royal House Order of Hohenzollern
30 Mar 1918		Pour le Mérite
1918 or later		Hanseatic Cross
		U-Boat War Badge

U-boat Commands

UB 11	4 Mar 1915	-	10 Mar 1915
UB 17	4 May 1915	-	6 Feb 1916
UB 17	16 Apr 1916	-	27 Jun 1916
UC 17	23 Jul 1916	-	21 May 1917
UB 55	1 Jul 1917	-	22 Apr 1918

Notes

Wenninger joined the U-boat force in December 1914. He first served on the UB 17 from 4 May 1915 on, then on UC 17 from 23 July 1916 and took command of UB 55 on 1 July 1917.

In November 1917 he was promoted to Kptlt. and on 30 March 1918 he was awarded the Pour le Mérite. He became a prisoner of war with a part of his crew on 22 April 1918 after UB 55 hit a mine in the Dover Barrage while running underwater. Between 15 and 20 men escaped from the sinking submarine, but only 8 were found alive by the British trawler Mate. One of the men died on the ship while being transported to Dover.

Wenninger remained in the navy and joined the Luftwaffe on 1 March 1935 as a Oberst, even became General der Flieger on the 1st November 1940. He died in Italy under unknown circumstances on the 13 March 1945.

He sank a total of 97 merchant vessels or 100.306 BRT.

Ships hit by Ralph Wenninger

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Type of ship	Tons

18 Jul 1915	UB 17	Batoum (d.)	Tanker	4,054	br
6 Aug 1915	UB 17	C.E.S.	Fishing vessel (smack)	47	br
6 Aug 1915	UB 17	Fisherman	Fishing vessel (smack)	24	br
6 Aug 1915	UB 17	Hesperus	Fishing vessel (smack)	47	br
6 Aug 1915	UB 17	Ivan	Fishing vessel (smack)	44	br
24 Aug 1915	UB 17	LEON MATHILDE (p.)	Sailing vessel	unknown	be
23 Sep 1915	UB 17	Saint Pierre I	Navy Trawler	303	fr
9 Nov 1915	UB 17	Jesus Maria	Navy drifter	71	fr

31 Jan 1916	UB 17	Arthur William	Fishing vessel (smack)	56	br
31 Jan 1916	UB 17	Hilda	Fishing vessel (smack)	44	br
31 Jan 1916	UB 17	Marguerite	Fishing vessel	32	be
31 Jan 1916	UB 17	Radium	Fishing vessel (smack)	59	br
1 Feb 1916	UB 17	Franz Fischer	Steamer	957	br
6 Nov 1916	UC 17	Fanelly	Sailing vessel	307	fr
7 Nov 1916	UC 17	Furulund	Steamer	1,817	nw
7 Nov 1916	UC 17	Suffolk Coast	Steamer	780	br
7 Nov 1916	UC 17	Thuhaug	Steamer	948	nw
10 Nov 1916	UC 17	Benton Castle	Navy Trawler	283	br
11 Nov 1916	UC 17	Seirstad	Steamer	995	nw
14 Nov 1916	UC 17	Oiz Mendi	Steamer	2,104	sp
14 Nov 1916	UC 17	Alcyon	Sailing vessel	59	fr
15 Nov 1916	UC 17	La Rochejacquelein	Sailing vessel	2,199	fr
15 Nov 1916	UC 17	Torridal	Steamer	688	nw
16 Nov 1916	UC 17	Eugenie	Sailing vessel	66	fr
16 Nov 1916	UC 17	Petit Jean	Sailing vessel	126	fr
21 Nov 1916	UC 17	Faunus	Steamer	749	sw
15 Dec 1916	UC 17	Constance Mary	Sailing vessel	177	br
17 Dec 1916	UC 17	Alerte	Sailing vessel	176	fr
18 Dec 1916	UC 17	La Vague	Sailing vessel	167	fr
18 Dec 1916	UC 17	Maria Louis	Sailing vessel	108	fr
18 Dec 1916	UC 17	Quo Vadis	Sailing vessel	110	fr
20 Dec 1916	UC 17	Otarie Ii	Trawler	109	fr
20 Dec 1916	UC 17	SAINT ANTOINE DE PADOUE	Fishing vessel	32	fr
21 Dec 1916	UC 17	St. Ives	Navy Trawler	325	br
24 Dec 1916	UC 17	Bargany	Steamer	872	br
25 Dec 1916	UC 17	Courlis	Sailing vessel	181	fr
28 Dec 1916	UC 17	Pitho	Sailing vessel	150	br
28 Dec 1916	UC 17	Union	Sailing vessel	563	nw

20 Jan 1917	UC 17	Standard	Sailing vessel	217	da
22 Jan 1917	UC 17	Gaulois	Sailing vessel	76	fr
22 Jan 1917	UC 17	O. A. Brodin	Steamer	1,798	sw
23 Jan 1917	UC 17	Egypte	Steamer	2,416	be
23 Jan 1917	UC 17	Ophelia	Sailing vessel	159	fr
31 Jan 1917	UC 17	Epsilon	Steamer	3,211	nl
16 Feb 1917	UC 17	Hermine	Steamer	3,940	fr
18 Feb 1917	UC 17	Thorgny	Steamer	734	nw
19 Feb 1917	UC 17	Centurion	Sailing vessel	1,828	br
19 Feb 1917	UC 17	Picton Castle	Navy Trawler	245	br
20 Feb 1917	UC 17	Falls of Afton	Sailing vessel	1,965	nw
21 Feb 1917	UC 17	Manningham	steamer	1,988	sw
22 Feb 1917	UC 17	Ajax	Steamer	1,468	nw
22 Feb 1917	UC 17	Saint Sauveur	Sailing vessel	158	fr
23 Feb 1917	UC 17	Belgier	Steamer	4,588	br
23 Feb 1917	UC 17	Iser	Steamer	2,160	br
23 Feb 1917	UC 17	Nyland	Steamer	1,824	nw
24 Feb 1917	UC 17	Salamis	Steamer	995	gr
25 Feb 1917	UC 17	Kleber	Sailing vessel	95	fr
26 Feb 1917	UC 17	Le Lamentin	Sailing vessel	716	fr
7 Mar 1917	UC 17	Antonio	Steamer	2,652	br
19 Mar 1917	UC 17	Rhodora	Fishing vessel (dundee)	38	fr
21 Mar 1917	UC 17	Huntscape (d.)	Steamer	2,933	br
22 Mar 1917	UC 17	Curlew	Fishing vessel (smack)	51	br
22 Mar 1917	UC 17	Rotorua	Steamer	11,140	br
23 Mar 1917	UC 17	Maine	Steamer	3,616	br
23 Mar 1917	UC 17	Mexico (d.)	Passenger steamer	5,549	br
24 Mar 1917	UC 17	Alice	Fishing vessel (smack)	61	br
24 Mar 1917	UC 17	Boy Walter	Fishing vessel (smack)	43	br
24 Mar 1917	UC 17	Endeavour	Fishing vessel (smack)	25	br
24 Mar 1917	UC 17	Enigma	Fishing vessel (smack)	24	br
24 Mar 1917	UC 17	H.C.G.	Fishing vessel (smack)	24	br
24 Mar 1917	UC 17	May Flower	Fishing vessel (smack)	38	br
24 Mar 1917	UC 17	Qui Vive	Fishing vessel (smack)	22	br
24 Mar 1917	UC 17	Reindeer	Fishing vessel (smack)	28	br
24 Mar 1917	UC 17	Satanita	Fishing vessel (smack)	30	br
9 May 1917	UC 17	Marchiena	Sailing vessel	170	nl
10 May 1917	UC 17	Veni	Steamer	654	nw
12 May 1917	UC 17	G.L.C.	Fishing vessel (smack)	24	br
12 May 1917	UC 17	Galicia	Passenger steamer	5,922	br
13 May 1917	UC 17	Anna	Sailing vessel	610	da
13 May 1917	UC 17	Hudson	Sailing vessel	817	nw
14 May 1917	UC 17	Farley	Steamer	3,692	br
16 May 1917	UC 17	L’hermite (d.)	Sailing vessel	2,189	fr
19 May 1917	UC 17	Kumu (d.)	Navy trawler	315	br
5 Nov 1917	UB 55	Clan Cumming (d.)	Steamer	4,808	br
7 Dec 1917	UB 55	Proba	Sailing vessel	105	br
8 Dec 1917	UB 55	Corinto	Steamer	999	nw
11 Dec 1917	UB 55	Argus	Trawler	100	pt
11 Dec 1917	UB 55	LIGEIRO	Fishing vessel	25	pt
11 Dec 1917	UB 55	A Portuguesa	Sailing vessel	107	pt
11 Dec 1917	UB 55	VIGNEIRA or VIRGEIRA	Fishing vessel	25	pt
16 Dec 1917	UB 55	Foylemore	Steamer	3,831	br

25 Jan 1918	UB 55	Eastlands	Steamer	3,113	br
26 Jan 1918	UB 55	Manhattan (d.)	Passenger steamer	8,001	br
29 Jan 1918	UB 55	Addax	Fishing vessel (smack)	40	br
29 Jan 1918	UB 55	General Leman	Fishing vessel (smack)	57	br
29 Jan 1918	UB 55	Ibex	Fishing vessel (smack)	42	br
29 Jan 1918	UB 55	Perriton	Sailing vessel	90	br
29 Jan 1918	UB 55	Perseverance	Fishing vessel (smack)	51	br
30 Jan 1918	UB 55	Wellholme	Q-ship	113	br
14 Mar 1918	UB 55	A. A. Raven	Steamer	2,459	am
21 Mar 1918	UB 55	Begonia	Steamer	3,070	br
23 Mar 1918	UB 55	Chattahoochee	Steamer	8,007	am
23 Mar 1918	UB 55	Madame Midas	Steamer	1,203	br
23 Mar 1918	UB 55	Mar Baltico	Steamer	2,023	sp
23 Mar 1918	UB 55	Venborg	Steamer	1,065	nw
24 Mar 1918	UB 55	Fileur	Sailing vessel	73	fr
				130,484
99 ships sunk (102,635 tons) and 7 ships damaged (27,849 tons). Legend (d.) means the ship was damaged. (p.) means the ship was taken as prize (included in ships & tonnage lost). We have a picture of this vessel.