Wilhelm Meentzen

Wilhelm Meentzen (19 March 1915 – 8 May 2001) was a German admiral in the Bundeswehr. He commanded the destroyer Zerstörer 3 (D172), formerly USS Wadsworth (DD-516), from October 1959 until January 1961. During World War II, Meentzen commanded Kriegsmarine torpedo boats and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Awards and decorations

 * Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords (6 June 1939)
 * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (23 December 1939) & 1st Class (21 November 1940)
 * German Cross in Gold on 5 May 1944 as Kapitänleutnant on Torpedoboot T-24/4. Torpedoboots-Flottille
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 30 October 1944 as Kapitänleutnant and commander of Torpedoboot T-24
 * Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (25 May 1973)