 U-995, last remaining Type VIIC U-boat, sister toU-1105 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-1105 |
| Ordered | 14 October 1941 |
| Builder | Nordseewerke,Emden |
| Yard number | 227 |
| Laid down | 6 July 1943 |
| Launched | 20 April 1944 |
| Commissioned | 3 June 1944 |
| Fate | Surrendered on 10 May 1945 |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | N-16 |
| Acquired | 10 May 1945 |
| Commissioned | 29 June 1945 |
| Out of service | 11 February 1946 |
| Nickname(s) | Black Panther |
| Fate | Transferred to the US Navy in 1946 |
 United States | |
| Name | U-1105 |
| Acquired | 1946 |
| Fate | Sunk on 19 September 1949 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Type VIIC/41submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range | |
| Test depth | 250 m (820 ft) |
| Complement | 44-52 officers and enlisted men |
| Armament |
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| Service record (Kriegsmarine) | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 50 444 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | 1 warship total loss (1,300 tons) |
U-1105 BLACK Panther (Type VIIC German Submarine) | |
  | |
| Nearest city | Piney Point, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 38°8′10″N76°33′10″W / 38.13611°N 76.55278°W /38.13611; -76.55278 |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1944 |
| Architect | Nordseewerke Shipyard |
| Architectural style | Submarine Type VIIC |
| NRHP reference No. | 00001602[1] |
| Added to NRHP | 11 January 2001 |
German submarineU-1105, aType VII-C/41U-boat ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine, was built at theNordseewerkeShipyard,Emden, Germany, andcommissioned on 3 June 1944.Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Joachim Schwarz was given command. He would commandU-1105 for the remainder of the war.
German Type VIIC/41 submarines were preceded by the heavierType VIIC submarines.U-1105 had a displacement of 759 tonnes (747 long tons) when at the surface and 860 tonnes (850 long tons) while submerged.[2] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), apressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), abeam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoGermaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylindersuperchargeddiesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, twoSiemens-Schuckert GU 343/38-8double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft)propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[2]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).U-1105 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteentorpedoes, one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and an anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
U-1105 was mounted with a single3.7 cm Flakzwilling M43U gun on the LM 42U mount. The LM 42U mount was the most common mount used with the 3.7 cm Flak M42U. The 3.7 cm Flak M42U was the marine version of the 3.7 cm Flak used by theKriegsmarine onType VII andType IX U-boats.U-1105 was mounted with two2cm Flak C38 in a M 43UZwilling mount with short folding shield on the upperWintergarten.[3] The M 43U mount was used on a number of U-boats (U-190,U-250,U-278,U-337,U-475,U-853,U-1023,U-1058,U-1109,U-1165, andU-1306).
U-1105 was one of only ten Type VIIC's to be fitted with aBalkongerät (literally 'Balcony apparatus or equipment'). TheBalkongerät was used on U-boats (U-682,U-788,U-799,U-997,U-1021,U-1172,U-1306,U-1307 andU-1308).[3] TheBalkongerät was standard on the Type XXI and theType XXIII. Nonetheless, it was also fitted to several Type IXs and oneType X. TheBalkongerät was an improved version ofGruppenhorchgerät (GHG) (group listening device). The GHG had 24 hydrophones, theBalkongerät had 48 hydrophones and improved electronics, which enabled more accurate readings to be taken.[4]
It was one of less than ten submarines that the Germans outfitted with experimentalsynthetic rubber skin ofanechoic tiles designed to counterAlliedsonar devices. Codenamed "Alberich," after asorcerer from ancientNorse mythology, this top-secret rubber coating process ultimately contributed to the ship's survival under extreme combat conditions and earned it the name "Black Panther." For this reason, ablack panther sprawled across the top of theglobe was painted onU-1105'sconning tower. U-boats withAlberich coating include:Type IIB –U-11;Type VIIC –U-480,U-485 andU-486;Type VIIC/41 –U-1105,U-1106,U-1107,U-1304,U-1306 andU-1308;Type XXIII –U-4704,U-4708 andU-4709.[5][6][7]
After trials in theBaltic Sea and final outfitting inWilhelmshaven, the submarine began patrolling Allied convoy routes nearBlackrock, Ireland in the spring of 1945. In April,U-1105 escaped detection by an Allieddestroyerpatrol. Days later, the U-boat detected three British destroyers that were part of the Second Division of the21st Escort Group. The submarine fired twoacoustic torpedoes at a range of 2000 meters and then dove to 100 meters to escape acounterattack. Fifty seconds passed before the first torpedo struck, with the second hitting just moments later. Thirty-two crewmen fromU-1105's victim,HMS Redmill, were lost. The Allied search forU-1105 and the search forRedmill's survivors began immediately. The submarine, unable to maintain its 330-foot depth, sank to the bottom at 570 feet, remaining motionless. For the next 31 hours, the Allied squadron searched for the U-boat without success.U-1105 evaded detection for the remainder ofWorld War II.
On 4 May 1945,U-1105 received the last order fromGroßadmiralKarl Dönitz: thewar is over. Ironically, the submarine surrendered to the 21st Escort Group, the same escort group it attacked just a few weeks earlier. Ordered to the surface and intercepted by theSunderland "NS-V" ofNo. 201 Squadron RAF which then escorted it,[8] the submarine proceeded to the Allied base atLoch Eriboll, Scotland on 10 May 1945 to surrender.
Though still operated by her German crew,U-1105 was re-designated as theRoyal Navy submarineN-16 and sailed under armedfrigate and air escort along with other surrendered U-boats, through theNorth Minch to the British naval base atLochalsh, then toLisahally, Northern Ireland. Given a British caretaker crew she sat at Lisshally for several months before she was turned over to the United States as a war prize for study of its unique synthetic rubber skin.
In 1946, re-designatedU-1105, the U-boat arrived inPortsmouth,New Hampshire. TheNaval Research Laboratory inWashington, D.C., andMassachusetts Institute of Technology's Acoustic Laboratory inCambridge,Massachusetts, conducted research on its unique rubber-tiled skin. After the research was completed, the boat was towed toSolomon's Island,Maryland for explosives testing.
USS Salvager andUSS Windlass were assigned to towU-1105 intoChesapeake Bay where she was temporarily sunk.Salvage andtowing tests were conducted from 10 to 25 August 1946. Moored on 29 September 1946 to allow pontoons to be fixed to her sides,U-1105 underwent another series of salvage and towing tests until 18 November 1946, when she was sunk offPoint No Point Light,Maryland andbuoys were left to mark the spot.
In the summer of 1949U-1105 was raised again, towed into thePotomac River and anchored offPiney Point, Maryland, for preparations for her final demolition. On 19 September 1949, a 250-pound (110 kg) MK.6depth charge was detonated 30 feet (9.1 m) fromU-1105. After being lifted out of the water, she went down one last time in more than 91 feet (28 m) of water, landing upright on the river bottom, herpressure hull cracked open by the explosion all the way around to thekeel. Little evidence was left to mark the wreck, so for the next 36 years the submarine was lost to history.
On 29 June 1985, the wreck ofU-1105 was discovered by a team of sport divers led by Uwe Lovas, approximately one mile west of Piney Point, Maryland, at38°08′10″N76°33′10″W / 38.13611°N 76.55278°W /38.13611; -76.55278. In November 1994, it was designated as Maryland's first historic shipwreck preserve. The program, the first of its kind in the state, was designed to promote the preservation of historic shipwreck sites while making them accessible to the general public.
At the wreck site, the conning tower rises to within 68 feet of the surface. The wood covered main deck fore and aft of the conning tower is occasionally exposed by the drifting silt beds. The wreck is well preserved, and largely intact. Seasonally, thick layers of marine growth appear and then disappear on the site, often covering structural features. Between April and December, a large blue and white mooring buoy is anchored about 70 feet (21 m) from the wreck, while a small, orange ball float is anchored to the stump of the forward (air-search) periscope.
The site is maintained for the Maryland Historical Trust by the Battle of the Atlantic Research and Expedition Group (BAREG.org), and was placed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2001.[1]
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 April 1945 | HMS Redmill |  Royal Navy | 1,300 | Total loss |
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1949 | |
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| Other incidents |
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