(Photo courtesy of Gareth Collins)
Konteradmiral (W) Friedrich Matthes
Born: 17 Oct 1881 in Berlin
Died: 16 Dec 1950 in Hamburg
Promotions:
Obermatrose (01 Jul 1901); Feuerwerkermaat (01 Oct 1904); Oberfeuerwerkermaat (01 Aug 1908); Feuerwerker (01 Feb 1913); Oberfeuerwerker (03 Jun 1916); Feuerwerksleutnant (28 Jun 1916); Technischer Obersekretär (01 Apr 1920); Charakter als Feuerwerksoberleutnant (12 Apr 1920); Regierungsoberinspektor (01 Mar 1928); Ministerialamtmann (01 Jun 1932); Kapitänleutnant (W) (01 Jul 1934); Korvettenkapitän (W) (01 Jul 1935); Fregattenkapitän (W) (01 Feb 1938); Kapitän zur See (W) (01 Nov 1939); Konteradmiral (W) (01 Feb 1943)
Career:
Entered the Navy as a Schiffsjunge with the Ship-Youth-Division (13 Apr 1898-01 May 1898)
On Board the School-Ship ‘Sophie’ (02 May 1898-08 Apr 1899)
On Board the School-Ship ‘Gneisenau’ (09 Apr 1899-31 Mar 1900)
Transferred to the I. Sailor-Division (01 Apr 1900-04 Feb 1901)
On Board the School-Ship ‘Olga’ (05 Feb 1901-02 May 1901)
Departed to Tsingtau (03 May 1901-21 Jun 1901)
On Board the Heavy Cruiser ‘Hansa’ (22 Jun 1901-20 Jun 1903)
Returned Home from Yokohama (21 Jun 1903-10 Aug 1903)
Transferred into the I. Sailor-Division (11 Aug 1903-30 Sep 1903)
On Board the Artillery-School-Ship ‘Mars’ (01 Oct 1903-21 Dec 1903)
Transferred into the I. Sailor-Division (22 Dec 1903-06 Apr 1904)
Transferred into the Ships-Youth-Division (07 Apr 1904-09 May 1904)
Transferred into the I. Sailor-Division (10 May 1904-13 Jul 1904)
On Board the School-Ship ‘Moltke’ (14 Jul 1904-31 Mar 1905)
Transferred into the I. Sailor-Division (01 Apr 1905-11 Jul 1905)
On Board the Liner ‘Preußen’, in technical special service (12 Jul 1905-28 Sep 1907)
Transferred into the I. Sailor-Division (29 Sep 1907-30 Sep 1908)
Course at the Oberfeuerwerker-School (01 Oct 1908-25 Sep 1909)
On Board the Liner ‘Lothringen’, in technical special service (26 Sep 1909-16 Feb 1913)
Transferred to the Imperial Shipyard Wilhelmshaven, in technical special service (17 Feb 1913-13 Apr 1914)
Transferred to the Artillery-Depot Wilhelmshaven, in technical special service (14 Apr 1914-01 Aug 1914)
Transferred to the Imperial Shipyard Wilhelmshaven, in technical special service (02 Aug 1914-30 Sep 1915)
Course at the Senior-Ammunition-Technician-School (01 Oct 1915-31 Mar 1916)
Course at the Artillery-Depot Wilhelmshaven (01 Apr 1916-30 Apr 1916)
Transferred to the Imperial Shipyard Wilhelmshaven, in technical special service (01 May 1916-30 Jun 1916)
Course at the Ships-Artillery-School (01 Jul 1916-08 Aug 1916)
Transferred to the Imperial Shipyard Wilhelmshaven then Reichs-Shipyard Wilhelmshaven, in technical special service (09 Aug 1916-08 Mar 1920)
Retired from Naval Service and Employed to Civil Service as Technical Senior-Secretary then Naval-Engineer in technical special service at the Naval-Shipyard Wilhelmshaven (09 Mar 1920-18 Apr 1926)
Civil Servant in technical special service and Advisor in the Naval Weapons Department, Naval Command (19 Apr 1926-30 Jun 1934)
Reactivated to Naval Service as Advisor in the Weapons-Department, Naval-Command (01 Jul 1934-23 Apr 1935)
Director of Naval-Artillery-Equipment-Office Pillau (24 Apr 1935-01 Oct 1936)
Director of Naval-Artillery-Equipment-Office Kiel-Dietrichsdorf (02 Oct 1936-03 Oct 1937)
General-Advisor in the Naval Weapons Office, OKM and Advisor in the Naval Personnel Office, OKM (04 Oct 1937-06 Nov 1939)
Chief of the Department for Procurement, Supply, Administration and Maintenance of Naval Weapons and Equipment, Naval Weapons Office, OKM (07 Nov 1939-04 May 1943)
Chief of the Office-Group for Procurement, Administration and Supply of Artillery Weapons and Munitions, Smoke and Gas Protection Equipment, Artillery-Arsenals at the Naval Weapons Head Office, OKM (13 Jan 1943-16 Apr 1944)
Placed to the Disposal of the Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine (17 Apr 1944-31 Jul 1944)
Retired (31 Jul 1944)

Decorations & Awards:
Deutsches Kreuz in Silber (17 May 1944)


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