Georg Johannes Von Trapp - Birth and Naval Career

Birth and Naval Career

Georg Johannes Ritter von Trapp was born in Zara, Kingdom of Dalmatia, then a Crown Land of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now Zadar in Croatia. His father, Fregattenkapitän August Trapp, was a naval officer who had been elevated to the Austrian nobility in 1876 which entitled him and his descendants to the style of Ritter (Knight) von in the case of male and von in the case of female offspring.

August Ritter von Trapp died in 1884, when Georg was four. His mother was Hedwig Wepler. Von Trapp's older sister was the Austrian artist Hede von Trapp. His brother, Werner von Trapp, died in World War I in 1915.

In 1894, von Trapp followed in his father's footsteps and entered the Austro-Hungarian Navy, entering the naval academy at Fiume (Rijeka). He graduated four years later and completed two years of follow-on training voyages including a trip to Australia. In 1900 he was assigned to the armored cruiser Kaiserin und Königin Maria Theresia and was decorated for his performance during the Boxer Rebellion. In 1902 he passed the officer's examination. He was fascinated by submarines, and in 1908 he seized the opportunity to be transferred to the newly-formed U-boot-Waffe. In 1910 he was given command of the newly-constructed U-6, which was christened by Agathe Whitehead, granddaughter of the Englishman Robert Whitehead, inventor of the torpedo. He commanded U-6 until 1913.

On April 17, 1915, von Trapp took command of U-5 and conducted nine combat patrols. While in command of the U-5 he sank the following:-

• the French armored cruiser Léon Gambetta at 39.30N, 18.15E on April 21, 1915, 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Cape Santa Maria di Leuca,
• the Italian submarine Nereide at 42.23N, 16.16E on August 5, 1915, 250 metres off Pelagosa (Palagruža) Island.

He captured:

• the Greek steamer Cefalonia off Durazzo on August 29, 1915.

He is sometimes credited with sinking the Italian troop transport Principe Umberto, but in reality, this was sunk by U-5 under von Trapp's successor Friedrich Schlosser (1885–1959) on June 8, 1916, after von Trapp was transferred to the U-14.

On October 14, 1915, he was transferred to the captured French submarine Curie, which the Austrian Navy redesignated U-14. While in command of U-14, he sank:

• the British tanker Teakwood at 36.39N, 21.10E on April 28, 1917,
• the Italian steamer Antonio Sciesa at 36.39N, 21.15E on May 3, 1917,
• the Greek steamer Marionga Goulandris at 35.38N, 22.36E on July 5, 1917,
• the French steamer Constance at 36.51N, 17.25E on August 23, 1917,
• the British steamer Kilwinning at 35.26N, 16.30E on August 24, 1917,
• the British steamer Titian at 34.20N, 17.30E on August 26, 1917,
• the British steamer Nairn at 34.05N, 19.20E on August 28, 1917,
• the Italian steamer Milazzo at 34.44N, 19.16E on August 29, 1917,
• the British steamer Good Hope at 35.53N, 17.05E on October 18, 1917,
• the British steamer Elsiston at 35.40N, 17.28E on October 18, 1917,
• the Italian steamer Capo Di Monte at 34.53N, 19.50E on October 23, 1917.

He conducted ten more war patrols, until, in May 1918, he was promoted to Korvettenkapitän (equal to Lieutenant Commander) and given command of the submarine base in the Gulf of Kotor.

At the end of World War I, von Trapp's wartime record stood at 19 war patrols; 11 cargo vessels totalling 45,669 tons sunk, plus the Léon Gambetta and Nereide and 1 cargo vessel captured. Among other honors, he received the Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa.

The end of the First World War saw the defeat and collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the process, Austria was reduced in size to its German-speaking core – losing its seacoast – and had no further need for a navy, leaving von Trapp without a job.