WWI U-boat commanders

Most Successful U-boat Commanders

Men that sank over 100,000 tons during World War One


CommanderSuccesses
1.Kptlt. Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière195 ships sunk or captured (455,871 tons)
8 ships damaged (34,312 tons)
2.Kptlt. Walter Forstmann149 ships sunk or captured (391,607 tons)
7 ships damaged (30,552 tons)
3.Kptlt. Max Valentiner144 ships sunk or captured (299,483 tons)
8 ships damaged (40,681 tons)
4.Kptlt. Otto Steinbrinck206 ships sunk or captured (244,797 tons)
13 ships damaged (69,524 tons)
5.Kptlt. Hans Rose82 ships sunk or captured (221,942 tons)
9 ships damaged (45,606 tons)
6.Kptlt. Gustav Sieß56 ships sunk or captured (188,295 tons)
10 ships damaged (36,363 tons)
7.Kptlt. Walther Schwieger49 ships sunk or captured (185,212 tons)
4 ships damaged (3,488 tons)
8.Kptlt. Wolfgang Steinbauer51 ships sunk or captured (183,871 tons)
12 ships damaged (60,480 tons)
9.Kptlt. Claus Rücker80 ships sunk or captured (174,655 tons)
3 ships damaged (9,951 tons)
10.Oblt. Reinhold Saltzwedel111 ships sunk or captured (172,824 tons)
10 ships damaged (17,131 tons)
11.KrvKpt. Waldemar Kophamel56 ships sunk or captured (157,771 tons)
6 ships damaged (10,176 tons)
12.Kptlt. Hans von Mellenthin57 ships sunk or captured (154,619 tons)
7 ships damaged (31,556 tons)
13.Kptlt. Kurt Hartwig44 ships sunk or captured (153,082 tons)
6 ships damaged (27,902 tons)
14.Kptlt. Otto Wünsche76 ships sunk or captured (151,144 tons)
7 ships damaged (29,919 tons)
15.Kptlt. Robert Moraht46 ships sunk or captured (147,870 tons)
3 ships damaged (9,420 tons)
16.Kptlt. Konrad Gansser57 ships sunk or captured (143,667 tons)
3 ships damaged (10,771 tons)
17.Oblt. Johannes Lohs77 ships sunk or captured (143,606 tons)
19 ships damaged (95,070 tons)
18.Kptlt. Rudolf Schneider46 ships sunk or captured (140,976 tons)
5 ships damaged (21,956 tons)
19.KrvKpt. Otto Schultze54 ships sunk or captured (137,814 tons)
9 ships damaged (31,293 tons)
20.Kptlt. Erwin Waßner90 ships sunk or captured (136,073 tons)
6 ships damaged (16,159 tons)
21.Kptlt. Ernst Hashagen55 ships sunk or captured (135,302 tons)
5 ships damaged (16,483 tons)
22.Kptlt. Leo Hillebrand52 ships sunk or captured (132,255 tons)
1 ship damaged (7,378 tons)
23.Kptlt. Wilhelm Werner63 ships sunk or captured (130,499 tons)
7 ships damaged (26,161 tons)
24.Kptlt. Heinrich Jeß44 ships sunk or captured (121,088 tons)
3 ships damaged (16,220 tons)
25.Kptlt. Wilhelm Marschall44 ships sunk or captured (120,460 tons)
1 ship damaged (765 tons)
26.Kptlt. Alfred von Glasenapp51 ships sunk or captured (118,626 tons)
6 ships damaged (47,429 tons)
27.Kptlt. Otto Hersing40 ships sunk or captured (113,580 tons)
2 ships damaged (8,918 tons)
28.Kptlt. Matthias Graf von Schmettow78 ships sunk or captured (111,628 tons)
8 ships damaged (31,271 tons)
29.Kptlt. Carl-Siegfried Ritter von Georg75 ships sunk or captured (111,221 tons)
9 ships damaged (19,917 tons)
30.Kptlt. Raimund Weisbach36 ships sunk or captured (107,763 tons)
2 ships damaged (3,481 tons)
31.Oblt. Herbert Pustkuchen84 ships sunk or captured (107,520 tons)
13 ships damaged (43,543 tons)
32.Kptlt. Karl Neumann71 ships sunk or captured (106,491 tons)
4 ships damaged (12,140 tons)
33.Oblt. Otto Launburg39 ships sunk or captured (104,144 tons)
9 ships damaged (38,371 tons)
34.Kptlt. Kurt Ramien57 ships sunk or captured (103,455 tons)
6 ships damaged (26,509 tons)
35.Kptlt. Hans Walther42 ships sunk or captured (103,262 tons)
4 ships damaged (13,451 tons)
36.Kptlt. Ernst Wilhelms31 ships sunk or captured (102,875 tons)
1 ship damaged (1,648 tons)
37.Kptlt. Ralph Wenninger98 ships sunk or captured (102,635 tons)
7 ships damaged (27,849 tons)


These 37 commanders sank 2,686 ships with a total of 5,917,983 tons. Rank shown is the highest rank achieved during the war.

Comparison with WWII Commanders

See how the Commanders of WWI compare against the most successful U-boat Commanders of WWII.

WWI U-boat commanders