Unterseeboot 1105

German submarine ''U-1105'', a Type VII-C/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'', was built at the Nordseewerke Shipyard, Emden, Germany, and commissioned on 3 June 1944. ''Oberleutnant zur See'' Hans-Joachim Schwarz was given command. He would command ''U-1105'' for the remainder of the war.

Design

German Type VIIC/41 submarines were preceded by the heavier Type VIIC submarines. ''U-1105'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert GU 343/38-8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''U-1105'' was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and an anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Armament

FLAK weaponry

''U-1105'' was mounted with a single 3.7 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 the Kriegsmarine on Type VII and Type IX U-boats. ''U-1105'' was mounted with two 2cm Flak C38 in a M 43U ''Zwilling'' mount with short folding shield on the upper ''Wintergarten''.Base on war-time photographs. The M 43U mount was used on a number of U-boats (, , , , , , , , , , and ).

File:3.7cm Flak M42 LM42U.png, A single 3.7 cm Flak M42U gun on the LM 42U mount.
File:2cm_Flak_C38_in_a_M_43U_Zwilling_Mount.png, 2 cm Flak C38 in a M 43U Zwilling mount with short folding shield.

Sensors

Passive sonar

''U-1105'' was one of only ten Type VIIC's to be fitted with a ''Balkongerät'' (literally 'Balcony apparatus or equipment'). The ''Balkongerät'' was used on U-boats (, , , , , , , and ). The ''Balkongerät'' was standard on the Type XXI and the Type XXIII. Nonetheless, it was also fitted to several Type IXs and one Type X. The ''Balkongerät'' was an improved version of Gruppenhorchgerät (GHG) (group listening device). The GHG had 24 hydrophones, the ''Balkongerät'' had 48 hydrophones and improved electronics, which enabled more accurate readings to be taken.

File:Type VIIC's Balcongerät Outer.png, The outside view of the German design of Balcongerät installed on Type VIIC's

Service history

Kriegsmarine

It was one of less than ten submarines that the Germans outfitted with experimental synthetic rubber skin of anechoic tiles designed to counter Allied sonar devices. Codenamed "Alberich," after a sorcerer from ancient Norse 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, a black panther sprawled across the top of the globe was painted on ''U-1105's'' conning tower. U-boats with ''Alberich'' coating include: Type IIB – ; Type VIIC – , and ; Type VIIC/41 – ''U-1105'', , , , and ; Type XXIII – , and .Wynn, Kenneth G. ''U-Boat Operations of the Second World War: Career Histories, U1-U510''. Naval Institute Press (March 1998). .Rössler, Eberhard. ''Die Sonaranlagen der deutschen Unterseeboote: Entwicklung, Erprobung, Einsatz und Wirkung akustischer Ortungs- und Tauschungseinrichtungen der deutschen Unterseeboote''. Bernard & Graefe.

After trials in the Baltic Sea and final outfitting in Wilhelmshaven, the submarine began patrolling Allied convoy routes near Blackrock, Ireland in the spring of 1945. In April, ''U-1105'' escaped detection by an Allied destroyer patrol. Days later, the U-boat detected three British destroyers that were part of the Second Division of the 21st Escort Group. The submarine fired two acoustic torpedoes at a range of 2000 meters and then dove to 100 meters to escape a counterattack. Fifty seconds passed before the first torpedo struck, with the second hitting just moments later. Thirty-two crewmen from ''U-1105's'' victim, , were lost. The Allied search for ''U-1105'' and the search for ''Redmill'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 of World War II.

On 4 May 1945, ''U-1105'' received the last order from '' Großadmiral'' Karl Dönitz: the war 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 the Sunderland " NS-V" of No. 201 Squadron RAF which then escorted it, the submarine proceeded to the Allied base at Loch Eriboll, Scotland on 10 May 1945 to surrender.

Royal Navy

Though still operated by her German crew, ''U-1105'' was re-designated as the Royal Navy submarine ''N-16'' and sailed under armed frigate and air escort along with other surrendered U-boats, through the North Minch to the British naval base at Lochalsh, then to Lisahally, 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.

United States Navy

In 1946, re-designated ''U-1105'', the U-boat arrived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Acoustic Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, conducted research on its unique rubber-tiled skin. After the research was completed, the boat was towed to Solomon's Island, Maryland for explosives testing.

and were assigned to tow ''U-1105'' into Chesapeake Bay where she was temporarily sunk. Salvage and towing 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 off Point No Point Light, Maryland and buoys were left to mark the spot.

In the summer of 1949 ''U-1105'' was raised again, towed into the Potomac River and anchored off Piney Point, Maryland, for preparations for her final demolition. On 19 September 1949, a MK.6 depth charge was detonated from ''U-1105''. After being lifted out of the water, she went down one last time in more than of water, landing upright on the river bottom, her pressure hull cracked open by the explosion all the way around to the keel. Little evidence was left to mark the wreck, so for the next 36 years the submarine was lost to history.

The wreck

On 29 June 1985, the wreck of ''U-1105'' was discovered by a team of sport divers led by Uwe Lovas, approximately one mile west of Piney Point, Maryland, at . 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 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 the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Summary of raiding history

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

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history.navy.mil: ''U-1105''


*, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
Battle of the Atlantic Research and Expedition Group

{{DEFAULTSORT:U1105
German Type VIIC/41 submarines
Ships built in Emden
1944 ships
U-boats commissioned in 1944
Captured U-boats
World War II submarines of Germany
Submarines of the Royal Navy
Submarines of the United States Navy
Research submarines of the United States
Ships sunk as targets
Maritime incidents in 1948
Maritime incidents in 1949
Shipwrecks of the Maryland coast
Shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland
World War II on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places in St. Mary's County, Maryland