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Heinrich Paul Christian Richard Eckermann was born on July 15, 1862 near Ratzeburg. He was the fourth child of the justice-councillor Rudolf Eckermann (1824-1904) and his wife Marie (1840-1873). At the age of two, Eckermann’s family moved to Flensburg, and in 1867 moved again to the naval town of Kiel. From 1869 to 1881, Eckermann attended the Kieler Gelehrtenschule, moving to the Abitur and finally enrolling as a naval cadet on April 12, 1881.

Eckermann’s first postings were to the SMS Niobe, the SMS Mars, the SMS Friedrich der Große, and the Marineschule in Kiel. After being made a Seekadett (midshipman), he was posted to the SMS Leipzig, remaining with the ship for two years on its posting to the Far East. After returning home, Eckermann 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 Eckermann to the West Indies, the Mediterranean, and the North Atlantic. He then travelled to both North and South America and the West Indies for eighteen months aboard the SMS Ariadne.

Eckermann 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… remaining on standby to transport the Kaiser. In this position, Eckermann fired a torpedo on the Havelsee in front of the imperial family. He then received his first decoration, the Order of the Crown (Fourth Class). It was presented to him personally by the Crown Prince.

Eckermann’s Berlin posting was followed by a series of shorter postings to training ships in the Matrosendivision and in the Torpedoabteilung in Wilhelmshaven. He was named First Officer on the SMS Bremse, the fishery protection on the North Sea and as commander of torpedo boats at various training and active divisions.

In April 1894, Eckermann was promoted to Kapitänleutnant and travelled to South America on the steamer München to join the SMS Arcona as its navigation officer. He spent eighteen months in South America and the Far East as well. He later moved to the SMS Marie. After returning home, Eckermann was made Kompanieführer in the III. Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung in Lehe bei Bremerhaven.

In 1897 Eckermann married Marie Luise Stadtlander (daughter of the Prussian vice-consul, ship-owner, and ship-broker Johann Stadtlander and his wife Rebecca) and had two children. In the years which followed, he was ordered to join the Reichsmarineamt in Berlin and served as First Officer of the SMS Ägir.

From March 1902 to June 1903, Eckermann commanded SMS Panther; his first trip with this ship was up the Rhine to Düsseldorf for the World Exhibition. He then sailed to the West Indies and South America, where the Panther sank the Haitian gunboat Crête-à-Pierrot (which had hijacked the German steamer Markomannia).

Later in 1903, Captain Eckermann joined the naval blockade of Venezuela and carried out a lengthy bombardment of Fort San Carlos. The battle started when the fort’s gunners opened fire on the Panther when she was crossing the sandy bar of the Maracaibo lagoon. Eckermann responded, but the shallow waters prevented the Panther from making an effective bombardment. Inside San Carlos, two of the gunners managed to score several hits on the Panther with their 80-millimeter Krupp gun, causing considerable damage to the ship. After a half hour of exchanging fire, the Panther retreated. Venezuelan President Cipriano Castro claimed victory, and in response the German commander sent the SMS Vineta with heavier weapons to destroy the fort!

For the next three years, Eckermann was back at the Reichsmarineamt in Berlin. He then commanded the SMS Brandenburg, the SMS Braunschweig (1907–08) and the SMS Schwaben (1908–10). In the autumn of 1910, Eckermann became Oberwerftdirektor of Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven, holding that position until the spring of 1914. From March to August of that year, he was inspector of the torpedo force at Kiel.

Shortly after the start of World War I (from August 12-31, 1914), Eckermann was commander of the 6th Squadron. On October 13, 1914 he was promoted to vice admiral. A special friend of Alfred von Tirpitz, Eckermann was an unconditional supporter of offensive warfare and unrestricted submarine warfare. He disliked the restraint imposed on the Imperial German Navy early in the war… and tirelessly worked to change this. The first offensive operations were the bombardment of the English coast.

From September 12, 1914 to February 3, 1915, Eckermann was chief of staff to the German High Seas Fleet and commander of the I Battle Squadron (February 16 to June 19, 1915). The Vizeadmiral then fell seriously ill and retired from the navy on July 10, 1915.

Richard Eckermann died at the age of fifty-three on January 13, 1916 in Kiel… only one day after receiving the Iron Cross, First Class.