List of most successful U-boat commanders
World War I
This list contains the most successful German U-boats commanders during the First World War based on total tonnage. Only sunk commercial vessels are included, not military (warships) nor damaged ships.

List of most successful U-boat commanders

Section Title: World War I
Table Section Text: This list contains the most successful German U-boats commanders during the First World War based on total tonnage. Only sunk commercial vessels are included, not military (warships) nor damaged ships.

#	Commander	Patrols	Ships sunk	Tonnage	Notes	Picture

1	Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière	15	194	453,716 tons	Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (1886–1941) was the most successful U-boat commander of World War I and of any submarine commander in history.	Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière

2	Walther Forstmann	47	146	384,300 tons	Walther Forstmann (1883–1973) commanded U-12 and U-39 on 47 patrols and sank 146 ships for a total of 384,304 GRT. In 1921 he qualified as an attorney and worked in the steel and coal industries, as well as being active in the German People's Party.	Walther Forstmann

3	Max Valentiner	*	150	299,300 tons	Max Valentiner (1883–1949) commanded U-38 and U-157, and sank 150 ships for a total of 299,300 GRT. Listed as a war criminal by the Allies for a series of incidents, including the sinking of SS Persia, Valentiner went into hiding for a while at the end of the war.	Max Valentiner

4	Otto Steinbrinck	*	*	231,614 tons	Otto Steinbrinck (1888–1949) commanded several submarines during World War I, sinking a total of 231,614 GRT of shipping. After the war he worked in the iron and steel industry.	Hans Rose

5	Hans Rose	*	79	213,900 tons	Hans Rose (1885–1969) commanded U-53 between 1916–18, sinking 79 merchant ships for a total of 213,987 GRT, as well as USS Jacob Jones, the first American destroyer to be lost during the war.	Hans Rose

6	Walther Schwieger	34	49	183,883 tons	Schwieger (1885–1917) commanded the U-14, U-20 and U-88, sinking 49 ships for a total of 183,883 GRT in 34 patrols. One of these was passenger liner RMS Lusitania, the sinking of which was a key factor to the United States' eventual entry into the war.	Walther Schwieger

7	Reinhold Saltzwedel	*	111	170,526 tons	Reinhold Saltzwedel (1889–1917) commanded six U-boats during World War I, sinking 111 merchant vessels for a total of 170,526 GRT. He was killed in December 1917 when UB-81 was sunk by a mine off the Isle of Wight.	Reinhold Saltzwedel

8	Johannes Lohs	*	*	165,000 tons	Johannes Lohs (1889–1918) commanded UC-75 and UB-57, and sank a total of 165,000 GRT of shipping. Lohs was killed when UB-57 was lost in the North Sea in August 1918.

9	Waldemar Kophamel	*	54	148,852 tons	Waldemar Kophamel (1880–1934) commanded U-35 and U-140, and sank 54 ships for a total of 148,852 GRT.

10	Otto Schultze	*	53	132,531 tons	Otto Schultze (1884–1966) commanded U-63 and sank 52 ships for a total of 132,531 GRT plus one warship for a further 5,250 GRT.

Sentence(s)

Walther Schwieger was the sixth most successful submarine commander of World War I.

final_sentence: Walther Schwieger was the sixth most successful submarine commander of World War I.