Raimund Weisbach | |
---|---|
Born | 16 September 1886 Breslau, German Empire |
Died |
16 June 1970 (aged 83) Hamburg, West Germany |
Allegiance | German Empire |
Service/branch | Kaiserliche Marine |
Rank | Kapitänleutnant |
Commands held |
U-19, 16 March – 10 August 1916 U-81, 22 August 1916 – 1 May 1917 |
Battles/wars |
U-boat Campaign (World War I) Easter Rising |
Awards | Iron Cross 1st class |
Raimund Weisbach (16 September 1886 – 16 June 1970) was an officer of the Kaiserliche Marine, and a U-boat commander during the First World War. He was the torpedo officer on the German U-boat, the U-20, who saw to the preparation and firing of the torpedo that sank the RMS Lusitania 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.
Born in Breslau on 16 September 1886, Weisbach joined the Kaiserliche Marine. He was the watch officer aboard U-20 under Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger, when the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk on 7 May 1915. Weisbach was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class.
Weisbach provided a concise account of his recollection of the sinking of the Lusitania which was published in The Irish Times in 1970 after his death. After the torpedo was fired, he was called to the periscope. 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.
Not long after the sinking of Lusitania, Weisbach received his first independent command, the U-19, on 16 March 1916. On 20 April 1916, on the island of Heligoland, Roger Casement embarked as a passenger aboard U-19. Their destination was Ireland. He delivered Casement to Ballyheige Bay a few days later. Weisbach was an official guest of the Government of Ireland at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rising in 1966. Weisbach came from his home in Hamburg to attend.