Klaus Bargsten

Klaus Bargsten (31 October 1911 – 25 October 2000) was the captain and sole survivor of the sunken German submarine U-521. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Klaus Bargsten
Klaus Bargsten
Born	(1911-10-31)31 October 1911 Bad Oldesloe, German Empire
Died	25 October 2000(2000-10-25) (aged 88) Bremen, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Branch	Kriegsmarine
Years of service	1936–45
Rank	Kapitänleutnant
Unit	1st U-boat Flotilla 2nd U-boat Flotilla 4th U-boat Flotilla
Commands	U-563, 27 March 1941 – 15 March 1942 U-521, 3 June 1942 – 2 June 1943
Awards	U-boat War Badge Knight's Cross

Career

U-521 under Bargsten's command was sunk on 2 June 1943 by the United States submarine chaser PC-565 east of Cape Hatteras. Bargsten was the sole survivor.

Kapitänleutnant Klaus Bargsten arrives in Norfolk

Bargsten was interrogated and held as a prisoner of war until his release in 1946. The Kriegsmarine falsely reported the entire crew of U-521 as missing in action.^[1]

Ranks and military decorations

Ranks

The following is a list of dates for Kptlt. Bargsten's promotions during World War II.

Date	Rank
1 July 1936	Fähnrich zur See[2]
1 January 1938	Oberfähnrich zur See[2]
1 April 1938	Leutnant zur See[2]
1 October 1939	Oberleutnant zur See[3]
1 August 1942	Kapitänleutnant[3]

Decorations

The following is a list of Kptlt. Bargsten's awards and decorations.

Date	Decoration
23 July 1940	Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class[3]
10 August 1940	U-boat War Badge (1939)[3]
25 September 1940	Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class[3]
30 April 1943	Knight's Cross as Kapitänleutnant and commander of U-521[4][5]