U 105 (Navy)

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U 105 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : IX B
Field Post Number : M 22 946
Shipyard: AG Weser , Bremen
Construction contract: May 24, 1938
Build number: 968
Keel laying: November 16, 1939
Launch: June 15, 1940
Commissioning: September 10, 1940
Commanders:
  • September 10, 1940 - January 6, 1942
    Lieutenant Georg Schewe
  • January 7, 1942 - September 30, 1942
    Kptlt. Heinrich Schuch
  • October 1, 1942 - October 29, 1942
    Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Adolf Schweichel
  • October 29, 1942 - June 2, 1943
    Kptlt.Jürgen Nissen
Calls: 9 activities
Sinkings:

23 ships (127,422 GRT)

Whereabouts: sunk in the mid-Atlantic on June 2, 1943

U 105 was a German submarine from the Type IX B , which in World War II by the German navy was used.

history

The order for the boat was awarded to AG Weser in Bremen on May 24, 1938 . The keel was laid on November 16, 1939, the launch on June 15, 1940, the commissioning under Lieutenant Georg Schewe finally took place on September 10, 1940.

After its commissioning on September 10, 1940 to December 31, 1940, the boat belonged to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven as a training boat . After training, U 105 belonged to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven and Lorient as a front boat from January 1, 1941 until its sinking on June 2, 1943 .

Use statistics

During its service, U 105 ran out of nine operations, on which 23 ships with a total tonnage of 127,422 GRT were sunk.

First venture

The boat was launched on 24 December 1940 at 8.25 pm from Kiel , and ran on 31 January 1941 at 19:30 in Lorient one. On this 39-day and 4,747.1 nm above and 201.9 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic , northwest of Ireland and west of the North Channel , two ships with 11,359 GRT were sunk.

  • January 9, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Bassano ( Lage ) with 4,843 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a G7e torpedo . He had 5,000 tons of iron and steel , 600 tons of grain and five passengers on board and was on the way from New York to Hull . There was one dead and 56 survivors.
  • January 26, 1941: sinking of the Dutch steamer Heemskerk with 6,516 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded rice , bran , iron, lead and general cargo and was on his way from Rangoon to Liverpool . The ship was a straggler of Convoy SL-61. There were eight dead and 48 survivors.

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on February 22, 1941 at 13:05, and returned there on June 13, 1941 at 10:45. On this 111 day long and 19,986.9 nm over and 319.1 nm underwater expedition in the South Atlantic , Pernambuco , the Canary Islands , off Freetown and the Central Atlantic , twelve ships with 71,450 GRT were sunk. U 105 entered Las Palmas on March 4 , where it was supplied with 70 m³ of fuel oil by a German supplier. From March 29 to April 1, U 105 was supplied with 13 torpedoes, fuel oil and drinking water by the auxiliary cruiser Kormoran . From April 8 to 9, U 105 was supplied with 36 m³ of fuel oil by the German utility Nordmark . Another supply from the Nordmark on May 4th (107 m³ fuel oil). From May 20th to May 21st, the utility Egerland took over three torpedoes, provisions and 100 m³ of fuel.

  • March 8, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Harmodius ( Lage ) (5,229 GRT). The ship sailed for the Houston Line and was under the command of Captain Robert J. Parry. Commander Schewe hit the steamer shortly before four in the morning with two G7e torpedoes. The Harmodius had loaded 2,000 t of pig iron and 3,930 t of general cargo and was on the way from Cochin and Cape Town via Freetown to London and Glasgow . The ship had joined the convoy SL 67 in Freetown , which had left the African coast - the abbreviation SL stood for " Sierra Leone " - on March 1st and consisted of 56 ships. There were 13 dead and 61 survivors. The crew members of the Harmodius were picked up by the British destroyer HMS Faulkner , which was under the command of Captain AF de Salis. He gave the shipwrecked to the destroyer HMS Forester , which brought the surviving crew of the Harmodius to Gibraltar on March 16 .
  • March 18, 1941: Sinking of the British steamer Medjerda ( Lage ) (4,380 GRT) by a G7e torpedo. He had loaded 6,450 t of iron ore and was on the way from Pepel (Sierra Leone) via Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Middlesbrough . The ship belonged to convoy SL-68 with 59 ships. There was one dead and 53 survivors.
  • March 19, 1941: Sinking of the Dutch steamer Mandalika ( Lage ) (7,750 GRT) by a G7a torpedo. He had loaded 9,200 tons of sugar and was on the way from Batavia to Belfast . The ship belonged to convoy SL-68 with 59 ships. There were three dead and 59 survivors.
  • March 21, 1941: Sinking of the British steamer Clan Ogilvy ( Lage ) (5,802 GRT) by a G7e torpedo. He had loaded 1,000 tons of tea, 2,000 tons of pig iron and 2,000 tons of peanuts and was on the way from Chittagong via Freetown (Sierra Leone) to London and Glasgow. The ship belonged to convoy SL-68 with 59 ships. There were 61 dead and 24 survivors.
  • March 21, 1941: Sinking of the British steamer Benwyvis ( Lage ) (5,920 GRT) by a G7e torpedo. He had loaded general cargo, including 3,500 tons of rice , 150 tons of tungsten , 500 tons of lead and 1,100 tons of construction timber, and was on his way from Rangoon and Durban via Freetown to Liverpool. The ship belonged to convoy SL-68 with 59 ships. There were 34 dead and 21 survivors.
  • March 21, 1941: Sinking of the British steamer Jhelum ( Lage ) (4,038 GRT) by two G7e torpedoes. He had loaded 1,400 t of borax , 1,553 t of figs and 1,843 t of general cargo and was on the way from Izmir via Cape Town and Freetown to Oban . The ship belonged to convoy SL-68 with 59 ships. There were eight dead and 49 survivors.
  • April 5, 1941: Sinking of the British steamer Ena de Larrinaga ( Lage ) (5,200 GRT) by a G7a torpedo. He had loaded 5,607 tons of coal and general cargo and was on the way from Hull to Buenos Aires . The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OB-276 with 34 ships. There were five dead and 38 survivors.
  • May 6, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Oakdene ( Lage ) (4,255 GRT) by a G7e torpedo. He had loaded 6,222 tons of coal and was on the way from Cardiff to Buenos Aires. The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OG-59 with 43 ships. All 35 crew members survived.
  • May 13, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Benvrackie ( Lage ) (6,434 GRT) by two G7e torpedoes. He had loaded 5,850 t of general cargo including silver and an airplane and was on the way from London and Loch Ewe to Cape Town and Beira . The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OB-312 with 25 ships. There were 13 dead and 45 survivors.
  • May 15, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Benvenue ( Lage ) (5,920 GRT) by a G7e torpedo. He had 5,000 tons of general cargo and six aircraft on board and was on his way from London, Newcastle, Loch Ewe, Gibraltar , Cape Town, Bombay and Karachi . The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OB-314 with 31 ships. There were two dead and 56 survivors.
  • May 16, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Rodney Star ( Lage ) (11,803 GRT) by four torpedoes and 113 rounds of artillery. He had loaded 7,000 tons of meat , butter and general cargo and was on the way from Fray Bentos via Santos and Freetown to Glasgow. All 67 crew members survived.
  • June 1, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Scottish Monarch ( Lage ) (4,719 GRT) by two torpedoes. He had loaded 7,000 tons of coal and was on the way from Tyne and Loch Ewe to Freetown. The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OB-319 with 38 ships. One person died and 44 survived the attack.

Third company

The boat left Lorient on August 3, 1941 at 3:00 p.m. and returned there on September 20, 1941 at 5:30 p.m. On this 48-day and 6,743.8 nm above and 463.9 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic, southwest of Iceland , a ship with 1,549 GRT was sunk. U 105 belonged to the group with the code name "Greenland".

  • September 11, 1941: sinking of the Panamanian steamer Montana ( Lage ) with 1,549 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 1,500,000 ft of timber and was en route from Wilmington to Reykjavík . There were 18 dead and seven survivors.

Fourth venture

The boat left Lorient on November 8, 1941 at 6:05 p.m., and returned there on December 13, 1941 at 12:30 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 35-day, 5631.2 nm above and 260.7 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic, the Denmark Strait , Newfoundland and Cap Race . U 105 belonged to the group with the code name "Steuben".

Fifth venture

The boat left Lorient on January 25, 1942 at 7:00 p.m., and returned there on February 8, 1942 at 1:45 p.m. On this 14-day trip into the North Atlantic, the boat drove 2,520 nm over and 152.3 nm under water.

On January 31, 1942, the departing U 105 met the convoy SL.98 with 26 ships west of the Biscay , secured by the EG.40 (Escort Group 40) with the sloops Londonderry , Landguard , Lulworth , Bideford and Culver . The HMS Culver with 1,546 t was sunk with two torpedoes, with 126 dead. Depth bombs damaged the U 105 , so that the boat broke off the patrol. Nevertheless, U 105 was used to rescue the team of the German blockade breaker Spreewald , who had been torpedoed by U 333 in ignorance . After the sighting of three lifeboats on February 2, U 105 brought 24 (of 60) German and 58 (of 86 prisoners) British survivors to France.

Sixth venture

The boat left Lorient on February 25, 1942 at 7.15 p.m., and returned there on April 15, 1942 at 10 a.m. On this 49 day long and 6,475 nm over and 350 nm long undertaking in the west Atlantic and the US east coast , two ships with 18,005 GRT were sunk.

  • March 25, 1942: Sinking of the British tanker Narragansett ( Lage ) with 10,389 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 14,000 t of pure petroleum products and was on the way from Port Arthur via Halifax (Nova Scotia) to Great Britain. All 49 crew members were killed.
  • March 27, 1942: sinking of the Norwegian tanker Svenör with 7,616 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes and 76 rounds of artillery. He had loaded 11,410 t of heating oil and was on the way from Curacao to Halifax (Nova Scotia). There were eight dead and 29 survivors.

Seventh venture

The boat left Lorient on June 7, 1942 at 8:30 p.m. and returned there on June 30, 1942 at 6:50 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 13-day undertaking, which had to be canceled due to air bomb damage, in the North Atlantic and Biscay. U 105 had to enter El Ferrol on June 12, 1942 to repair the damage , which it left again on June 28, 1942.

Eighth venture

The boat left Lorient on November 23, 1942 at 4:30 p.m. and returned there on February 14, 1943 at 10:27 a.m. On this 64-day and approximately 12,400 nm long expedition to the Azorean Islands , the Western Atlantic, the Caribbean , French Guiana , Trinidad and Tobago , four ships with 19,844 GRT were sunk. U 105 was supplied with 20 m³ of fuel oil from U 118 on December 3, 1942 . Another supply on February 3, 1943 by U 504 (40 m³ fuel oil).

  • December 14, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Orfor ( Lage ) with 6,578 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had 8,170 tons of burlap loaded and was on the way from Calcutta via Cape Town to St. Thomas , Kingston and Ciudad Trujillo ( Cuba ). There were 22 dead and 36 survivors.
  • January 12, 1943: sinking of the British sailing ship CF Flight ( Lage ) with 67 GRT. The sailor was sunk by artillery. He had workers on board and was on his way from Curaçao to Barbados . There were 49 dead and 23 survivors.
  • January 24, 1943: sinking of the British tanker British Vigilance with 8,093 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 11,000 tons of purified oil and was on the way from Curacao and Trinidad to Gibraltar. The ship belonged to convoy TM-1 with nine ships. There were 27 dead and 27 survivors.
  • January 27, 1943: sinking of the US motor ship Cape Decision ( Lage ) with 5,106 GRT. The ship was sunk by three torpedoes. It had loaded 5,600 tons of general cargo including gasoline , land mines , timber, ammunition , trucks , two landing craft and two aircraft and was on its way from New York to Dakar . The ship belonged to convoy UGS-4. All 77 crew members survived.

Ninth venture

The boat left Lorient on March 16, 1943 and was sunk on June 2, 1943. On this 78-day expedition in the mid-Atlantic, off Freetown and Dakar , a ship with 4,669 GRT was sunk. U 105 was supplied with 90 m³ of fuel oil by U 460 on May 19, 1943 .

  • May 15, 1943: sinking of the Greek steamer Maroussio Logothetis ( Lage ) with 4,669 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had 7,024 tons of iron on board and was on his way from Rio de Janeiro via Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Great Britain. There were 27 dead and 12 survivors. The second officer was captured by U 105 .

Whereabouts

The boat was sunk on June 2, 1943 in the mid-Atlantic off Dakar by a Free French flying boat of the type Potez 141 -Antares of the 4th Free French Squadron at position 14 ° 15 ′  N , 17 ° 35 ′  W in marine grid square EK 4686 . All 53 crew members died.

literature

  • Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 1: The Hunters. 1939-1942. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-12345-X .
  • Clay Blair: The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0513-4 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 4: German submarine losses from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1999, ISBN 3-8132-0514-2 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 5: The knight's cross bearers of the submarine weapon from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg et al. 2003, ISBN 3-8132-0515-0 .
  • Erich Gröner : Die Handelsflotten der Welt 1942 and supplement 1944. JF Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-469-00552-4 (reprint of the 1942–1943 edition).
  • Erich Gröner: Search list for ship names (= The merchant fleets of the world. Supplementary volume). JF Lehmanns Verlag Munich 1976, ISBN 3-469-00553-2 (reprint of the 1943 edition).
  • Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes Verlag, Graefelfing before Munich 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 .
  • Jung / Maass / Wenzel: Tanker and supplier of the German fleet 1900 - 1980, Motorbuch-Verlag, 1st edition 1981, page 108-110, ISBN 3-87943-780-7

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ian M. Malcolm: "Shipping Company Losses of the Second World War. Book II", Moira Brown, Dundee 2020, ISBN 978-1-65661-255-7 , page 79
  2. ↑ Jürgen Rohwer , Gerhard Hümmelchen : Chronik des Maritime War, January 1942 , viewed on August 1, 2008