Wilhelm Meentzen

Wilhelm Meentzen (19 March 1915 – 8 May 2001) was a German admiral in the Bundeswehr. He commanded the destroyer Zerstörer 3 (D172), formerly USS Wadsworth (DD-516), from October 1959 until January 1961. During World War II, Meentzen commanded Kriegsmarine torpedo boats and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Wilhelm Meentzen
Born	(1915-03-19)19 March 1915
Died	8 May 2001(2001-05-08) (aged 86)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany West Germany
Branch	Kriegsmarine German Navy
Years of service	1934–45 1956–74
Rank	Vizeadmiral
Commands	Zerstörer 3 (D172)
Battles / wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Awards and decorations

• Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords (6 June 1939)^[1]
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (23 December 1939) & 1st Class (21 November 1940)^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 5 May 1944 as Kapitänleutnant on Torpedoboot T-24/4. Torpedoboots-Flottille^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 30 October 1944 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of Torpedoboot T-24^[3]
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (25 May 1973)^[1]