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German submarine U-1105 'Black Panther': The naval archaeology of a U-boat
A detailed study of history and marine archaeology of an innovative late-World War II U-boat that currently lies as a wreck in the Potomac River.
Now in its final resting place at the bottom of the Potomac River in Maryland, the U-Boat U-1105 is unique among German World War II submarines. Technologically innovative, it was the only U-Boat to conduct a wartime patrol while equipped with the snorkel, GHG Balkon passive sonar and a rubberized coating known as Alberich designed to reduce its acoustic signature and hide from Allied sonar. After the end of World War II, it was the subject of instense testing and evaluation by the Allies, before finally being sunk to the bottom of the Potomac River.
This highly illustrated book uses many new and previously unpublished images to tell the full story of this remarkable U-Boat, evaluating the effectiveness of its late war technologies, document its extensive postwar testing and detail all the features still present on the wreck site today.
Now in its final resting place at the bottom of the Potomac River in Maryland, the U-Boat U-1105 is unique among German World War II submarines. Technologically innovative, it was the only U-Boat to conduct a wartime patrol while equipped with the snorkel, GHG Balkon passive sonar and a rubberized coating known as Alberich designed to reduce its acoustic signature and hide from Allied sonar. After the end of World War II, it was the subject of instense testing and evaluation by the Allies, before finally being sunk to the bottom of the Potomac River.
This highly illustrated book uses many new and previously unpublished images to tell the full story of this remarkable U-Boat, evaluating the effectiveness of its late war technologies, document its extensive postwar testing and detail all the features still present on the wreck site today.
- GenresHistory
128 pages, Hardcover
Published June 18, 2019
4 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Stephan Hamilton
9 books8 followersAaron Stephan Hamilton has spent the last twenty-five years researching and analyzing the final year of military conflict during World War II in Europe.
He is an academically trained historian who holds a Bachelors and Master's degree in History, as well as the Field Historian designator awarded by the U.S. Army's Combat Studies Institute.
The focus of his research has been the primary documents related to the last year of fighting along the Eastern Front. A time-period and geographic area often neglected by Western researchers due to a lack of easily availability primary sources. His multi-volume history The Oder Front 1945, became the basis for the U.S. Army Europe's (USAREUR) first Staff Ride and Battle Book about the Battle of the Seelow Heights.
Over the past five years he has transitioned his interests from land combat to naval operations, specifically the last year of Battle of the Atlantic that foreshadowed the evolution in undersea warfare. He has a number of books and articles on the topic of late war U-Boat operations and tactics forthcoming.
He is an academically trained historian who holds a Bachelors and Master's degree in History, as well as the Field Historian designator awarded by the U.S. Army's Combat Studies Institute.
The focus of his research has been the primary documents related to the last year of fighting along the Eastern Front. A time-period and geographic area often neglected by Western researchers due to a lack of easily availability primary sources. His multi-volume history The Oder Front 1945, became the basis for the U.S. Army Europe's (USAREUR) first Staff Ride and Battle Book about the Battle of the Seelow Heights.
Over the past five years he has transitioned his interests from land combat to naval operations, specifically the last year of Battle of the Atlantic that foreshadowed the evolution in undersea warfare. He has a number of books and articles on the topic of late war U-Boat operations and tactics forthcoming.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 9, 2019
Review written: June 6, 2019
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Heat Rating: N/A
An Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book was received free via Netgalley for an honest review.
U-boat-1105 is an historic ship. As a complete novice when it comes to all things nautical, I was able to read this book with comparative ease and understand what made “Black Panther” special. But, this book was equally accessible to those who are U-boat fanatics or ship fanatics or even World War II fanatics. Somehow, Hamilton wrote simultaneously for many audiences and made it work for all of them.
Equipped with all three late war German submarine advances, 1105 was a modern engineering marvel. It spent only a few months in active deployment during the war before surrendering to the British. In that time, it saw little action. But its significance is not in the prowess or valor of its missions or how many ships it torpedoed. Its value lies instead in its history and its engineering. And today, that engineering lies mostly submerged in silt at the bottom of the Potomac River.
Of the three advances, the Schnorkel was the most significant in u-boat evolution, allowing the u-boat to go from submersible to full submarine. It was the advance that allowed the u-boats to remain underwater for months and still use the diesel engine propulsion system.
The GHG Balkon sonar array was the least discussed of the advances. It was also the one I understood the least. As far as I can tell, it gave the u-boat a wider field of vision, so to speak.
But it was the Alberich advance that most caught my imagination. It’s a name I recognized instantly because of my Wagner-fascination and I was immediately captivated by the name of it. Alberich was an anti-sonar rubber coating placed over and adhered to the hull to help escape detection. In short, it was stealth technology. Tuned to specific depths, this coating was unique based on where the u-boat would be operating. “Black Panther’s” Alberich design was for shallower water as that was typically where u-boats operated in the late stages of the war.
Hamilton walks us through the why these advances were conceived, the building and testing of 1105, and her deployment. That is followed by testing done by the British on the advanced technologies and her perilous journey across the Atlantic to the U.S. Lastly, he discusses the detonations testing and final sinking in the Potomac as well as diving the wreck today.
This book is full to the brim with first person accounts as well as extensive photos of both the u-boat intact and the dive site and artifacts. Significant and extensive research has been done over the course of years to write this book. It shows in the meticulous detail.
I picked this book because it sounded interesting and it proved to be quite a find. I’d recommend this book to technical enthusiasts, dive enthusiasts, and anyone who might be interested in anything about this boat, whether it be history, engineering, diving, Maryland, Germany, or even the Cold War. I certainly learned a great deal as a novice.
This review is ©June 2019 by Monique N. and has been posted to Netgalley.
Star Rating: ★★★★☆
Heat Rating: N/A
An Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book was received free via Netgalley for an honest review.
U-boat-1105 is an historic ship. As a complete novice when it comes to all things nautical, I was able to read this book with comparative ease and understand what made “Black Panther” special. But, this book was equally accessible to those who are U-boat fanatics or ship fanatics or even World War II fanatics. Somehow, Hamilton wrote simultaneously for many audiences and made it work for all of them.
Equipped with all three late war German submarine advances, 1105 was a modern engineering marvel. It spent only a few months in active deployment during the war before surrendering to the British. In that time, it saw little action. But its significance is not in the prowess or valor of its missions or how many ships it torpedoed. Its value lies instead in its history and its engineering. And today, that engineering lies mostly submerged in silt at the bottom of the Potomac River.
Of the three advances, the Schnorkel was the most significant in u-boat evolution, allowing the u-boat to go from submersible to full submarine. It was the advance that allowed the u-boats to remain underwater for months and still use the diesel engine propulsion system.
The GHG Balkon sonar array was the least discussed of the advances. It was also the one I understood the least. As far as I can tell, it gave the u-boat a wider field of vision, so to speak.
But it was the Alberich advance that most caught my imagination. It’s a name I recognized instantly because of my Wagner-fascination and I was immediately captivated by the name of it. Alberich was an anti-sonar rubber coating placed over and adhered to the hull to help escape detection. In short, it was stealth technology. Tuned to specific depths, this coating was unique based on where the u-boat would be operating. “Black Panther’s” Alberich design was for shallower water as that was typically where u-boats operated in the late stages of the war.
Hamilton walks us through the why these advances were conceived, the building and testing of 1105, and her deployment. That is followed by testing done by the British on the advanced technologies and her perilous journey across the Atlantic to the U.S. Lastly, he discusses the detonations testing and final sinking in the Potomac as well as diving the wreck today.
This book is full to the brim with first person accounts as well as extensive photos of both the u-boat intact and the dive site and artifacts. Significant and extensive research has been done over the course of years to write this book. It shows in the meticulous detail.
I picked this book because it sounded interesting and it proved to be quite a find. I’d recommend this book to technical enthusiasts, dive enthusiasts, and anyone who might be interested in anything about this boat, whether it be history, engineering, diving, Maryland, Germany, or even the Cold War. I certainly learned a great deal as a novice.
This review is ©June 2019 by Monique N. and has been posted to Netgalley.
May 14, 2019
German Submarine U-1105 ‘Black Panther’ – The Naval Archaeology of a U-Boat by Aaron Stephan Hamilton, provides an invaluable resource for anyone interested in U-Boat technology and history.
Improved anti-submarine warfare technology and strategies developed by the Allies forced Germany to alter its tactical approach in its war on Allied shipping and inspired technical innovations that proved to be the forerunners of devices used by submarine building nations after World War II. The U-1105 was one of the most advanced submarines of its time, employing a snorkel device that greatly extended the time a submarine could remain submerged, a rubber coating that greatly hindered detection by Allied sonar and its own sonar device that enabled it to detect Allied vessels while still submerged.
Hamilton’s extensive research is evident as he provides highly detailed technical explanations of both the challenges faced by submarines and the solutions devised by German scientists and sub designers. Fortunately for those of us who are not engineers, Hamilton provides lucid and easily accessible explanatory text that is greatly enhanced by drawings, charts and photographs. The design, development and testing of snorkel devices, the Alberich rubber coating and the GHG Balkon sonar device were of great interest to US, British and Russian scientists after the war and Hamilton provides a highly readable history of the people involved in investigating the U-1105 after the war.
Hamilton relates the history of U-1105’s deployment, its lone combat patrol and eventual surrender on May 9, 1945. This is followed by an interesting and sometimes humorous chapter on the British efforts to evaluate the sub and its technology.
The U-1105 was eventually brought to the US where it was repeatedly sunk, raised and sunk for a final time as the result of detonation testing. An enduring mystery surrounding the ship is why the US bothered to sail the U-1105 across the Atlantic under greatly hazardous conditions, only to use it as an explosives test bed. The US performed no technological testing and it was not until 1980 that US subs were equipped with Alberich-like anti-detection technology.
This is not at all a technical “dry as dust” history, as Hamilton does an excellent job of factoring the human element into his story and his accounts of the people involved in this sub’s history are both entertaining and at times touching.
Currently the U-1105 wreck is a recognized archaeological site and a dive site; once again Hamilton provides a wonderfully detailed account of both the science and current diving opportunities. A marvelous feature is a series of color photographs cross referenced to a schematic drawing of the sub.
Appendices include U-1105’s technical specifications, a WWII crew list and a chronological history.
This is a book that should satisfy both the casual reader and those especially interested in understanding the technological aspects of submarine warfare. Another fine Osprey publication.
Improved anti-submarine warfare technology and strategies developed by the Allies forced Germany to alter its tactical approach in its war on Allied shipping and inspired technical innovations that proved to be the forerunners of devices used by submarine building nations after World War II. The U-1105 was one of the most advanced submarines of its time, employing a snorkel device that greatly extended the time a submarine could remain submerged, a rubber coating that greatly hindered detection by Allied sonar and its own sonar device that enabled it to detect Allied vessels while still submerged.
Hamilton’s extensive research is evident as he provides highly detailed technical explanations of both the challenges faced by submarines and the solutions devised by German scientists and sub designers. Fortunately for those of us who are not engineers, Hamilton provides lucid and easily accessible explanatory text that is greatly enhanced by drawings, charts and photographs. The design, development and testing of snorkel devices, the Alberich rubber coating and the GHG Balkon sonar device were of great interest to US, British and Russian scientists after the war and Hamilton provides a highly readable history of the people involved in investigating the U-1105 after the war.
Hamilton relates the history of U-1105’s deployment, its lone combat patrol and eventual surrender on May 9, 1945. This is followed by an interesting and sometimes humorous chapter on the British efforts to evaluate the sub and its technology.
The U-1105 was eventually brought to the US where it was repeatedly sunk, raised and sunk for a final time as the result of detonation testing. An enduring mystery surrounding the ship is why the US bothered to sail the U-1105 across the Atlantic under greatly hazardous conditions, only to use it as an explosives test bed. The US performed no technological testing and it was not until 1980 that US subs were equipped with Alberich-like anti-detection technology.
This is not at all a technical “dry as dust” history, as Hamilton does an excellent job of factoring the human element into his story and his accounts of the people involved in this sub’s history are both entertaining and at times touching.
Currently the U-1105 wreck is a recognized archaeological site and a dive site; once again Hamilton provides a wonderfully detailed account of both the science and current diving opportunities. A marvelous feature is a series of color photographs cross referenced to a schematic drawing of the sub.
Appendices include U-1105’s technical specifications, a WWII crew list and a chronological history.
This is a book that should satisfy both the casual reader and those especially interested in understanding the technological aspects of submarine warfare. Another fine Osprey publication.
May 5, 2019
Three and a half stars.
A slightly flawed book, although one still worth considering. I would deem this ultimately as too specialist for the general browser. The U-1105 was certainly a unique Nazi U-Boat, with a ground-breaking (sic) audio detection system, and a new snorkel technology for longer submersions, AND a nice rubber coating to cloak it from Allied sonar detection. After getting all that gear, it spent months in getting its young crew shipshape, then had one sortie into the Atlantic off Ireland, with one enemy ship sunk, only for VE Day to be declared. The British Navy spent ages testing it to see what the rubber cloaking did and how the snorkel affected operations, then the Americans took over, and – well, I'll keep at least some of her story in reserve.
The book as I saw it certainly needed a little work – one point some exit vent is above something else, the next below it, one point some island is to the port, then it was on the starboard or vice versa. The way my e-arc was formatted made it impossible at times to work out what was the documentation regarding her wartime activity and what was the author's editorialising about the same. But if you have much interest in submarine warfare, this individual story showcasing not one but three Nazi innovations to the craft should appeal somewhat. To an average browser like me I found it a little too technical-minded, and too keen on the completist detail. It still, however, made me much closer to this U-Boat than to any since I was on the set of Das Boot in a certain Bavarian film studio...
A slightly flawed book, although one still worth considering. I would deem this ultimately as too specialist for the general browser. The U-1105 was certainly a unique Nazi U-Boat, with a ground-breaking (sic) audio detection system, and a new snorkel technology for longer submersions, AND a nice rubber coating to cloak it from Allied sonar detection. After getting all that gear, it spent months in getting its young crew shipshape, then had one sortie into the Atlantic off Ireland, with one enemy ship sunk, only for VE Day to be declared. The British Navy spent ages testing it to see what the rubber cloaking did and how the snorkel affected operations, then the Americans took over, and – well, I'll keep at least some of her story in reserve.
The book as I saw it certainly needed a little work – one point some exit vent is above something else, the next below it, one point some island is to the port, then it was on the starboard or vice versa. The way my e-arc was formatted made it impossible at times to work out what was the documentation regarding her wartime activity and what was the author's editorialising about the same. But if you have much interest in submarine warfare, this individual story showcasing not one but three Nazi innovations to the craft should appeal somewhat. To an average browser like me I found it a little too technical-minded, and too keen on the completist detail. It still, however, made me much closer to this U-Boat than to any since I was on the set of Das Boot in a certain Bavarian film studio...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews