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Bernd Wegener
Kapitänleutnant (Crew 4/01)
| Successes 11 ships sunk for a total of 32.385 GRT 1 warship sunk for a total of 5.600 tons |
| Born: | 22 May, 1884 | |
| Dead: | 19 Aug, 1915 | off S Ireland |
  | Ranks
Decorations
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U-boat Commands
| U 27 | 1 Aug, 1914 | - | 19 Aug, 1915 (+) |
Notes
Bernd Wgener was born in 1884. Entered as a Seekadett in the Kaiserliche Marine in 1903. 1914 promoted Kapitänleutnant and CO of U27. In November 1914 awarded the Eisernes Kreuz 1 Klasse. Sank the British submarine E3 on the 18 October 1914 off Borkum Island. On the 31st followed the HMS Hermes in Dover Straits. Hermes (5.600 BRT) was originally a light cruiser, but was used as a Seaplane carrier.
The Baralong incident
He left on the 1 August 1915 for his last patrol. On 19 August he was attacking the Nicosian, a steamer of which all hands had left the ship, and was attacked by the British Q ship Baralong, which was using the US colors to get near her, only hoisting the proper British colors at the moment she attacked U27. The U-boat was shot to pieces. Six survivors, amongst whom Wegener, tried to save themselves by trying to get on board the Nicosian.
Sources do not agree with each other, some say they were shot in the water, others say that they were shot on board of the Nicosian. One way or another it was murder by the crew of the Baralong. In a number of British books on the submarine war you can even read that it was revenge for the Lusitania.