Gustav Klatt

Gustav Klatt (* 15. February 1823 in Stralsund , † 5. September 1898 ) was a German naval officer , most recently Vice Admiral of the Imperial Navy , and from 1873 to 1878 Chief of Naval Station of the North Sea in Wilhelmshaven .

Life

Klatt began his nautical career at the age of 13 on merchant ships . In 1848 he joined the Prussian Navy as a helmsman and was accepted into the naval officer corps because of his achievements.

In 1863 Klatt was corvette captain and commander of the paddle steamer Prussian Eagle . At the same time he was given the command of a small association that was sent to the Mediterranean on August 18 of that year to ensure the protection of Germans during the unrest in Greece . It consisted of the Prussian eagle, used as an Aviso , and the two gunboats Basilisk and Blitz . In December the association was ordered back home because of the looming German-Danish war . On May 1, 1864, Klatt united his ships in front of Den Helder with a squadron of the Austrian Navy under the ship's captain Wilhelm von Tegetthoff . The combined squadron took part in the naval battle near Helgoland on May 9, 1864 , with Klatt and his Prussian ships practically unable to intervene in the battle. After the battle, the association ran to Cuxhaven , where it remained until the armistice came into force on May 12, 1864.

In December 1871, Klatt, now in the rank of sea ​​captain , was entrusted with the management of the chief of the North Sea naval station of the new imperial navy. In March 1873 he was officially confirmed in this position and promoted to Rear Admiral. As station chief, he took an active part in the negotiations on the administrative status and the municipal constitution of the garrison town of Wilhelmshaven, which was under construction . On April 18, 1878, Klatt was retired and promoted to Vice Admiral.

The Admiral-Klatt-Strasse in Wilhelmshaven is named in his honor.

literature

• Wilhelmshavener Heimatlexikon. Wilhelmshaven 1986, Volume 2. P. 51f.
• Erich Gröner , Dieter Jung, Martin Maass: The German warships 1815-1945. Volume 1. Munich 1982. ISBN 3-7637-4800-8 .
• Hans Hildebrand, Albert Röhr, Hans-Otto Steinmetz: The German warships. A mirror of naval history from 1815 to the present day. Biographies, Volume 2. Mundus Verlag o.J.