Wilhelm Kesslitz

Kesslitz, Wilhelm (*26 May 1862 in Neutitschein/Nový Jičín; †4 March 1944 in Graz)

Wilhelm Kesslitz, son of naval officer Josef Kesslitz, entered the Fiume Naval Academy in 1878 and left in 1880 after successfully graduating as a sea cadet. In 1881/82, he took part in a one-year voyage abroad to North and South America, the West Indies and England on S.M.S. Fasana. From 1882 to 1894 he served at the Hydrographic Office of the Imperial and Royal Navy in Pola.

During this time, he took part in the expedition of the S.M.S. Albatros to South America and West Africa from September 1887 to October 1888 (Reise S.M. Corvette Albatros nach Südamerika und Westafrika) and later spent three semesters studying geomagnetism and practical astronomy at the University of Vienna from 1891 to 1893. He was promoted to midshipman of the line in 1884 and lieutenant of the line in 1891.

In 1894/95 he took part in a geological expedition via India to Australia and Polynesia on the S.M.S. Fasana. In 1895 he was transferred to the Geophysics Department of the Hydrographic Office, which had been created on his initiative, where he worked until 1914.

In 1903, he was promoted to corvette captain and appointed head of the Geophysics Department of the Hydrographic Office, first provisionally (as deputy) and then permanently. In this position, Kesslitz was promoted to frigate captain in May 1907 and to ship-of-the-line captain in 1912, and was raised to the peerage in 1908.

In 1914, Kesslitz became Director of the Hydrographic Office. In 1917 he was promoted to contreadmiral, and although he should normally have retired that year, he remained in service until the end of the war in 1918.