Richard Eckermann
| Richard Eckermann | |
|---|---|
| Born |
15 July 1862 Ratzeburg |
| Died | 13 January 1916 (aged 53) Kiel |
| Allegiance |
 German Empire
|
| Service/branch |
 Kaiserliche Marine
|
| Years of service | 1881-1916 |
| Rank | Vizeadmiral |
| Commands held | |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Heinrich Paul Christian Richard Eckermann (15 July 1862, near Ratzeburg - 13 January 1916, Kiel) was an officer of the German Imperial Navy, rising to Vizeadmiral (vice admiral)) in the First World War.
Eckermann was the fourth child of the justice-councillor Rudolf Eckermann (1824-1904) and his wife Marie (1840-1873). He was born in Ratzeburg, but in 1864 his parents moved to Flensburg then in 1867 to the naval town of Kiel. From 1869 to 1881 he attended the Kieler Gelehrtenschule, moving to the Abitur in 1881 and finally enrolling as a naval cadet on 12 April 1881.
His first postings were to SMS Niobe, SMS Mars and SMS Friedrich der Große as well as to the Marineschule in Kiel. After being made a Seekadett (midshipman), he was posted to SMS Leipzig, remaining with it for two years on its posting to the Far East. After returning home from that trip, he was promoted to Unterleutnant zur See in November 1884 and posted to the officer-training course at the Marineschule.
A series of short postings to training ships followed, taking him to the West Indies and the Mediterranean as well as the North Atlantic. He then travelled to North and South America and the West Indies for 18 months on board SMS Ariadne. He was then sent on a longer posting to the Marinedetachement and the Artillerieprüfungskommission in Berlin. During this time he was temporarily in command of the torpedo boat V 6, travelling between Berlin and Potsdam on the rivers Elbe, Havel and Spree and remaining on standby to transport the Kaiser. In this position he fired a torpedo on the Havelsee in front of the imperial family and received his first decoration, the fourth class of the Order of the Crown, presented personally by the Crown Prince.
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