Blocking commander
The barrier commander is an officer responsible for the guarding, maintenance and operation of one or more mine barriers and / or harbor barriers .
During the Second World War, the German navy established blocking commanders (or simply blocking commanders) in important ports or for entire stretches of coast. Their task was in particular the laying out, maintenance, operation and monitoring of the harbor barriers, which were set up from beams and nets, with which in particular the penetration of combat divers , micro-submarines , manned torpedoes and explosives should be prevented. To this end, they were subordinate to so-called locking tugs , which opened and closed the barriers when ships were allowed through. Their staff also included blocking pilots who guided ships through the barriers. Insofar as their area of responsibility covered entire stretches of coast, they commanded so-called blocking flotillas, which were renamed coastal protection flotillas in October 1942 and security flotillas in October 1943.