Raimund Weisbach (16 September 1886 – 16 June 1970) was an officer of the ''

Kaiserliche Marine The adjective ''kaiserlich'' means "imperial" and was used in the German-speaking countries to refer to those institutions and establishments over which the ''Kaiser'' ("emperor") had immediate personal power of control. The term was used partic ...

'', and a

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

commander during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was the torpedo officer on the German U-boat, the , who saw to the preparation and firing of the

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

that sank the on 7 May 1915. He went on to become a successful commander, sinking 36 ships before being captured when his submarine was sunk by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

''Lusitania''

Born in Breslau on 16 September 1886, Weisbach joined the ''Kaiserliche Marine''. He was the watch officer aboard ''U-20'' under ''

Kapitänleutnant , short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( or ''lieutenant captain'') is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the modern German . The rank is rated Ranks and insignia of NATO navies' officers, OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to i ...

Walther Schwieger Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Otto Walther Schwieger (7 April 1885 – 5 September 1917) was a German military officer. He was a U-boat commander in the Imperial German Navy (''Kaiserliche Marine'') during First World War. In 1915, he sank the pass ...

, when the ''Lusitania'' was torpedoed and sunk on 7 May 1915. Weisbach was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

1st Class. Weisbach provided a concise account of his recollection of the sinking of the ''Lusitania'' which was published in ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' in 1970 after his death. After the torpedo was fired, he was called to the

periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...

. He said the explosion which he saw was far more severe than could normally have been expected. He surmised then and still believed in 1966 (when being interviewed) that the liner must have been carrying a significant cargo of high explosives.

Sir Roger Casement

Not long after the sinking of ''Lusitania'', Weisbach received his first independent command, the , on 16 March 1916. On 20 April 1916, on the island of

Heligoland Heligoland (; , ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , ) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. The islands were historically possessions of Denmark, then became possessions of the United Kingdom from 1807 to 1890. Since 1890, the ...

Roger Casement Roger David Casement (; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during World War I. He worked for the Britis ...

embarked as a passenger aboard ''U-19''. Their destination was Ireland. He delivered Casement to

Tralee Tralee ( ; , ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the River Lee') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in ...

Bay a few days later. Weisbach was an official guest of the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland () is the executive (government), executive authority of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, headed by the , the head of government. The government – also known as the cabinet (government), cabinet – is composed of Mini ...

at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the

1916 Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an i ...

in 1966. Weisbach came from his home in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

to attend.

Later career

Weisbach commanded ''U-19'' until 10 August 1916. His next command was , which he took over on 22 August 1916. During his time in command Weisbach's submarines sunk 36 ships for a total of , and damaged another two for a total of . ''U-81'' was torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine on 1 May 1917. 24 members of the U-boat crew were killed, with Weisbach, his watch officer Otto Walter and five other Germans surviving to be rescued by the British. Weisbach and the surviving crew spent the rest of the war as prisoners in Britain. Weisbach returned to Germany after the end of the war. He visited Cork and Dublin in 1966 for the

Easter rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

celebrations, and died in Hamburg on 16 June 1970.

Sources

*''

The Irish Sword ''The Irish Sword'' is the official journal of the Military History Society of Ireland containing articles on the military history of Ireland, book reviews, notes, notices, queries, illustrations and proceedings. It includes information on subj ...

'', The Journal of the Military History Society of Ireland, Vol. XVI (Summer 1986)(No.64) - John De Courcey Ireland article concerning Weisbach *Obituary in ''The Irish Times'', 28 July 1970, p. 10. *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weisbach, Raimund 1886 births 1970 deaths U-boat commanders (Imperial German Navy) Military personnel from Wrocław Military personnel from the Province of Silesia Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class German prisoners of war in World War I World War I prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom Imperial German Navy personnel of World War I