Bernd Wegener

Kapitänleutnant (Crew 4/03)

Successes
10 ships sunk with a total of 31,120 GRT
2 warships sunk with a total of 6,325 tons

Born:	22 May 1884	Rendsburg
Died:	19 Aug 1915	off S Ireland

Ranks

1 Apr 1903		Seekadett
15 Apr 1904		Fähnrich zur See
28 Sep 1906		Leutnant zur See
12 Sep 1908		Oberleutnant zur See
19 Sep 1914		Kapitänleutnant

Decorations

November 1914		Iron Cross 2nd class
November 1914		Iron Cross 1st class

U-boat Commands

U 27

8 May 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 (sunk 3 months earlier). The sinking of the Arabic earlier the same day by U 24 with Baralong unable to assist probably did not help the Germans on U 27 either.

In 1938 the new 7th U-boat Flotilla being founded at Kiel was named in Wegener's honor.

Ships hit by Bernd Wegener

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Type of ship	Tons

18 Oct 1914	U 27	E 3	Submarine	725	br
31 Oct 1914	U 27	Hermes	Seaplane carrier	5,600	br

11 Mar 1915	U 27	Bayano	Armed merchant cruiser	5,948	br
13 Mar 1915	U 27	Hartdale	Steamer	3,839	br
18 May 1915	U 27	Drumcree	Steamer	4,052	br
19 May 1915	U 27	Dumfries	Steamer	4,121	br
21 May 1915	U 27	Glenholm	Sailing vessel	1,968	br
18 Aug 1915	U 27	Ben Vrackie	Steamer	3,908	br
18 Aug 1915	U 27	Gladiator	Steamer	3,359	br
18 Aug 1915	U 27	Magda	Steamer	1,063	nw
18 Aug 1915	U 27	Sverresborg	Steamer	1,144	nw
19 Aug 1915	U 27	Pena Castillo	Steamer	1,718	sp
				37,445
12 ships sunk (37,445 tons). Legend We have a picture of this vessel.