Walther Schwieger

""It looks as if the ship will stay afloat only for a very short time... I couldn't have fired another torpedo into this mass of humans desperately trying to save themselves.""

- Walther Schwieger after torpedoing the Lusitania.

Walther Schwieger (April 7th, 1885 – September 5th, 1917) was a U-boat commander in the Imperial German Army during World War I. He is known for sinking 49 ships, one of which infamously included sinking the RMS Lusitania, which resulted in a loss of 1,198 lives.

Early Life
Walther Schwieger was born on April 7th, 1885, to a respected Berlin Family. Sometime in the year of 1903, he joined the Imperial German Navy, and would later in 1911 serve with the U-Boat Service.

World War 1
On May 7th, 1915, Walther Schwieger launched a torpedo at the RMS Lusitania, sinking the ship and causing a loss of 1,198 lives. Because of this, Schwieger caused massive outrage in both the british and America, and he was condemned as a war criminal in the allied press.

Walther Schwieger would go on to torpedo the SS Hesperian, on the 4th of September, and SS Cymric on May 8th, 1916. On May 31st 1917, on the U-88, he torpedoed the Miyazaki Maru, resulting in eight deaths.

Death
On September 5th, 1917, while being chased by the HMS Stonecrop, His U-boat, the U-88, hit a british mine, sinking and killing Walther Schwieger and his crew.

Schwieger captained three different submarines during his career, during 34 missions. He damaged 4 ships, and sank 49 ships, weighing 183,883 gross register tons (GRT). He was the sixth most successful submarine commander of World War I.