Clipped signature in blue felt tip ink by Klaus Bargsten.  Comes affixed on a German biographical page.

(1911-2000) Klaus Bargsten was the captain and sole survivor of sunken U-521. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

PC-565 was only a quarter mile away. She opened up with her 20 mm gun. Shells burst on and around the U-boat's conning tower. Realizing that U-521 was done for, Bargsten shouted down the conning tower to open the sea cocks and abandon ship. U-521 sank from under the Captain's feet with amazing speed. The last thing Bargsten saw as he looked down was a maelstrom of water pouring into the open hatch. U-521 was gone and Bargsten was left floating in the ocean alone.

"Some question the situation where Bargsten got out of U-521 just quick enough to see the rest of his crew drowned. The first act of abandonment in a U-boat is to secure the captain, and thus he was the first and last one out of the boat itself. Let it be noted that Bargsten has no acts of cowardice in his military record."

With professional conduct, PC-565 turned as U-521 sank under the surface. PC-565 dropped another depth charge. Huge bubbles of air rose to the surface. Oil and debris littered the surface, followed by large pieces of human remains. Bargsten rose to the surface and struggled swimming towards the nearest Allied ship.

Ray Lankheim, a machine gunner of PC-565 had his 20 mm trained on this lone survivor of the crew as Bargsten was swimming for his life. Lankheim was under orders to 'kill them all'[citation needed] but he could not bring himself to shoot this lone man in the cold water, and so Bargsten survived the war. He spent more than three years in Allied captivity before being released in 1946.

Decorations

The following is a list of Kptlt. Bargsten's awards and decorations.

Date Decoration

23 July 1940 Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class[1]

10 August 1940 U-boat War Badge (1939)[1]

25 September 1940 Iron Cross (1939) 1st Class[1]

30 April 1943 Knight's Cross (number 164 of the Kriegsmarine)

Commands

The following is a list of Kptlt. Bargsten's commands in the Kriegsmarine navy.

U-Boat Command Length

U-563 27 Mar, 1941 - 15 Mar, 1942 2 patrols (69 days)

U-521 3 Jun, 1942 - 2 Jun, 1943 3 patrols (169 days)