Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-12-26
U-Boat Captain Prien
Is Outstanding Hero
OF War in Reich
Sinking Of RoyoI Oak
In Scopo Flow Fired
Popular Imagination
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Dec. ga new sea
rover has taken his place in the
hearts of the German people beside
Count Felix Won Luckner, whose ex-
PLOTS aboard the raider Sea Adler
wrote a fascinating saga in the
World War.
Germany's new hero is the 81
year-old submarine commander
Lt.-Capt. Guenther Prien, who has
accounted for almost one-third OF
the British Navy tonnage the Ger
mans claim to have sunk or dam
aged since last September.
Nothing in the present war has
so fired popular imagination as
Capt. Prien's feat in working his
submarine past British mines and
distractions to sink the 290OO-ton
battleship Royal Oak while she lay
in Scapa Flow Harbor the night OF
October IA.
Capt. Prien's claims that he also
torpedoed and seriously damaged
the 32,0O0-ton Repulse were denied
by the British, but the denial did
nothing to detract from the acclaim
with which his daring achievement
was greeted in Germany.
Given Hero's Welcome.
When the young commander and
his crew returned to port they were
given heros welcome. Hitler
greeted them personally, and con-
ferred upon Capt. Prien Germany's
highest military decoration-the
Grand Cross of the Iron Cross.
Since that time Capt. Prien has
added to his fame as sea raider.
A recent announcement credited
him with sinking 26,159 tons Of
enemy merchant shipping and a
British cruiser of the 9,850-ton Lon
don class on his latest voyage. The
British have denied sinking OF the
cruiser
The blond, blue-eyed Capt. Prien
never has disclosed how he slipped
into Scapa Flow, but already legends
have arisen to explain the feat.
According to one version, given
credence in naval quarters, Capt
Prien watched for days as British
warships snaked their way into the
harbor and carefully charted their
courses. Finally, with a fairly good
idea of the channel, he brazenly
followed a British warship through
the minefield at night.
Started as Cabin Boy.
His submarine, travelling openly
on the surface, occasioned no alarm
Capt. Prien quickly verified his
charts, submerged to complete his
mission of destruction and then
with his knowledge Of the channel
slipped safely out of the harbor.
Capt. Prien, who was born IN
Osterfield, Thuringia. started his
maritime career at 16 as cabin
bow on a merchant vessel. Five
years later he passed his examina-
tons as a commercial ship captain
When a depression hit the Ger
man merchant marine shortly
afterward, Prien found himself
without job. He tried his HAND
at flying, then volunteered for the
labor service and finally enlisted
in the navy in January, 1888, as a
common sailor.
He rose rapidly in rank and as
a first lieutenant did patrol duty in
Spanish waters during the civil wal
in Spain.
In April, 1899, Prien was pro.
NOTED to lieutenant captain ane
made commander of the submarine
on which he had served for severa
years. He was among the first Ger
man submarine commanders to q
to sea when the war broke out ane
was rewarded with the Iron Cross
second class, after his first voyage
Today he is Germany's No. ses
raider.