German submarine U-105 (1940)
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-105 was a Type IXB
German Type IXB submarine
The German Type IXB submarine was a sub-class of the German Type IX submarine built by the German Navy between 1938 and 1940. The U-boats themselves were designed to be fairly large ocean-going submarines. The inspiration for the Type IXB submarine came from the earlier original Type IX submarine,...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
of the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
. U-105 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 24 May 1938 as part of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's naval rearmament program. Her keel was laid down by AG Weser in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
on 16 November 1938. After roughly seven months of construction, she was launched on 15 June 1940 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 10 September 1940 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe
Georg Schewe
Georg Schewe was a famous Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
. During her three-year career, U-105 sank 23 vessels for a total loss of 125,470 GRT before finally being sunk by the Free French Forces
Free French Forces
The Free French Forces were French partisans in World War II who decided to continue fighting against the forces of the Axis powers after the surrender of France and subsequent German occupation and, in the case of Vichy France, collaboration with the Germans.-Definition:In many sources, Free...
off the coast of Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
in June 1943.
Construction
U-105 was ordered by the German Kriegsmarine on 24 May 1938 as part of Nazi Germany's naval rearmament program. Her keel was laid down on 16 November 1938 by AG Weser in Bremen as Werk 968 and she was launched on 15 June 1940 and commissioned on 10 September under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe.Design
Like all Type IXB U-boats, U-105 had a total output of 1,000 hp (746 kW) while underwater and 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) when surfaced. As a result, she was capable of travelling at 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h) when surfaced and at 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h) when submerged. U-105 had a range of 22,200 nautical miles (41,100 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) while on the surface and 118 nautical miles (219 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h) when submerged. She was equipped with six torpedo tubes; four in the bow and two in the stern and carried a total of 22 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes. U-105s main deck gunDeck gun
A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...
was an Utof 105mm/45 with a magazine of 110 rounds. She was also equipped with 2 cm FlaK 30
2 cm FlaK 30
The Flak 30 and improved Flak 38 were 20 mm anti-aircraft guns used by various German forces throughout the Second World War. It was not only the primary German light anti-aircraft gun, but by far the most numerously produced German artillery piece throughout the war...
and 3.7 cm FlaK 43
3.7 cm FlaK 43
The 3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43 were series of anti-aircraft cannon produced by Nazi Germany, which saw widespread service in the Second World War. The cannon was fully automatic and effective against aircraft flying at altitudes up to 4200 meters. The cannon was produced in both towed and...
anti-aircraft guns.
Service history
Under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe, U-105 left KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
on 24 December 1940. She spent 39 days in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. During this patrol, she sank the British ship Bassano on 9 January 1941, and the Lurigethan, part of Convoy SL-61, on 26 January 1941, totalling 8,407 GRT. Five days later, on 31 January 1941, U-105 arrived at the German-occupied port of Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which would remain U-105s home port
Home port
A vessel's home port is the port at which it is based, which may not be the same as its port of registry shown on its registration documents and lettered on the stern of the ship's hull...
for the rest of her career.
1941
U-105 left Lorient on her second patrol on 22 February 1941 and underwent a 112-day cruise in the Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Along with U-124, she was directed by the Oberkommando der Marine
Oberkommando der Marine
The Oberkommando der Marine was Nazi Germany's Naval High Command and the highest administrative and command authority of the Kriegsmarine. It was officially formed from the Marineleitung of the Reichswehr on 11 January 1936. In 1937 it was combined with the newly formed Seekriegsleitung...
to attack Convoy SL-67. During this attack, U-105 sank the merchant ship Harmodius, on 8 March 1941. Collectively, the two U-boats sank a total of 28,148 tons. She then stalked Convoy SL-68, sinking the Medjerda on 18 March 1941, the Mandalika on 19 March 1941, and the Clan Ogilvy, the Benwyvis and the Jhelum on 21 March 1941. U-105 went on to score Nazi Germany's first kill off the coast of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
when she sank the Ena de Larrinaga on 5 April 1941. Later during the patrol she sank the Oakdene, part of Convoy OG-59, on 6 May 1941, the Benvrackie, part of Convoy OB-312, on 13 May 1941, the Benvenue part of Convoy OB-314, on 15 May 1941, the Rodney Star on 16 May 1941 and the Scottish Monarch, part of Convoy OB-319, on 1 June 1941. This was the second most successful U-boat patrol of the entire Second World War, with 12 ships sunk for a total of 71,450 GRT. On 5 May 1941, the 105mm deck gun exploded, wounding six crew members. U-105 returned to Lorient on 13 June 1941, and remained there until 3 August 1941, when she departed on her third war patrol.
On 5 August she was assigned to wolfpack Hammer, and remained with it until it disbanded on 12 August, when she was reassigned to wolfpack Grönland, with which she remained until its disbanding on 27 August. She was then assigned to wolfpack Margrave, and sank the Panamanian merchant ship Montana, part of Convoy SC-42, on 11 September 1941. She returned to Lorient nine days later.
U-105 left Lorient on her fourth patrol on 8 November 1941 and spent 36 days in the North Atlantic. On 14 November she was assigned to wolfpack Steuben, and remained with it until 2 December. Having sunk no ships during the patrol, she returned to Lorient on 13 December 1941. Georg Schewe left the boat shortly after this patrol, and was replaced as commander by Heinrich Schuch.
1942
On 25 January 1942 U-105 left Lorient on her fifth patrol. On 31 January 1942 U-105 sank the British ship HMS Culver, part of Convoy SL-98, south-west of Ireland, and, on 5 February 1942, she rescued seven men from a crashed German Dornier Do 24Dornier Do 24
-See also:-References:* -External links:* * * * * * * * *...
350 miles off the coast of France. U-105 returned to Lorient on 8 February 1942. Seventeen days later, on 25 February 1942, U-105 left Lorient. Between 25 March 1942 and 27 March 1942, she sank the British merchant ship Narragansett and the Norwegian merchant ship Svenør off the East Coast of the United States
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
. U-105 returned to Lorient on 15 April 1942 after spending 50 days in the North Atlantic, and left on another patrol on 7 June 1942. While crossing the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
, she was attacked by an Australian Short Sunderland
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....
aircraft from No. 10 Squadron RAAF
No. 10 Squadron RAAF
No. 10 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron based at RAAF Base Edinburgh. The Squadron was first formed in 1939 and has seen active service in World War II, East Timor, the War on Terrorism and the 2003 Gulf War.-Second World War:...
. U-105 sought shelter in El Ferrol, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and did not leave until 28 June, when she departed for Lorient, which she reached on the 30th. The attack apparently caused serious damage, as U-105 did not sail again until 23 November 1942. During this period, Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Adolf Schweichel was put in command of the boat, but did not undertake any patrols and was replaced by Oberleutnant zur See Jürgen Nissen, under whose command U-105 left Lorient.
While patrolling the North Atlantic she succeeded in sinking three British merchant ships; the Orfor on 14 December 1942, the C.S. Flight on 12 January 1943, and the British Vigilance, part of Convoy TM-1, on 24 January 1943, as well as the American freighter Cape Decision. U-105 returned to Lorient on 14 February 1943, and remained there until 16 March 1943. During this patrol, on 1 April, the boat's commander, Jürgen Nissen, was promoted to Kapitänleutnant. On 15 May 1943 U-105 sank the Greek merchant ship Maroussio Logothetis 250 miles southwest of Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
. On 2 June 1943, while passing close to Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, U-105 was attacked and sunk by the Potez-CAMS 141
Potez-CAMS 141
-External links:**...
flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
"Antarés" from Free French Squadron 141. All 53 crew members were killed.