Otto Hersing
Kapitänleutnant (Crew 4/03)
Successes
37 ships sunk for a total of 95.220 GRT
3 warships sunk for a total of 19.675 tons
1 ship damaged for a total of 3.044 GRT |
| Born: | 30 Nov, 1885 | |
| Dead: | 5 Jul, 1960 | Oldenburg |
 | Ranks | | | Kapitänleutnant |
Decorations | | | Iron Cross 2nd class | | Iron Cross 1st Class | | 5 Jun, 1915 | Pour le Mérite |
|
U-boat Commands
| U 21 | 1 Aug, 1914 | - | 31 Aug, 1918 |
Notes
Hersing was known amongst his collegues as the "Zerstörer der Schlachtschiffe" - destroyer of battleships. His first victim was
HMS Pathfinder, a light cruiser of 2940 tons which he torpedoed off St. Abb's Head on the east coast of Scotland on the 5th September 1914 with U21.
In early 1915 he was ordered to the Mediterranean to give a hard time to British who had landed at Gallipoli.
Hersing's first victim was the battleship
HMS Triumph of 11.985 tons which he sank off Gaba Tepe on the 25th May, while the ship was bombarding the Turkish lines.
Two days later he sank the
HMS Majestic, anorther battleship conducting fire support off the Gallipoli peninsula.
For these actions awaited him on his return to the fatherland the Pour le Mérite.
On the 4th of July he sank the
Carthage, a French auxiliary cruiser of 5.601 GRT near Cap Helles, Turkey.
On the 8th February 1916, U21 sank the French cruiser
Amiral Charner of 4750 tons off the Syrian coast.
Hersing survived the war and seems to have started cultivating potato's in the countryside!
