German submarine U-1105 'Black Panther': The naval archaeology of a U-boat

I first learned about U-1105 from a salvage diver several years ago. I headd about the dive site but very little about the full history of the "Black Panther." I was building a model of U-1105 and needed a reference for details. I found this this book and it helped immensely! The author did an outstanding job on his reasearch! There were plenty of pictures to reference for my model build. I also learned a lot about the type VIIC U-Boat and the history surrounding it.

What I was expecting was a personal narrative fo war time experiences. What I got was an extremely technically detailed description of how this late series U-boat operated and how it was distinctive from other U-boats. Great for a technical journal. Just not what I was expecting.

Whether you are seriously into U-Boats, just curious about them, or somewhere in between, and especially if you are also into diving, this is a great read. Chocked full of technical information, but without the usual 'dryness' of tech writings; Aaron Stephan Hamilton has put together a good one. He starts with some tech so that the reader is familiar with this late war sub's configuration, then goes through the operational history and its' use by the Brits and Americans after the war. Then he dives into some of the more modern conditions of the wreck that now sits just off the Maryland shore. A well-written story with lots of diagrams and pictures, again, a great read and serious addition to the reference library too.

This was a great read and never boring! The author did a fantastic job of telling about the late war technologies of the German U-boat arm and their late war tactics. I learned some things about the U-boats that I have never read before. The author did an excellent job of researching and telling the history of U-1105. I highly recommend this book

Hamilton has structured U-1105’s story beautifully and provides a detailed and well-illustrated text for working and visiting divers and history aficionados. I am becoming well acquainted with U-1105 as a member of IMH, which currently maintains her buoys and helps monitor this site. This will help immensely with deepening my orientation on this low visibility site. -CMonster

Interesting and well written. Good pictures and extensive data.

Great book, very informative. The author is an excellent writer.

I bought this book as U -1105 crippled HMS Redmill just outside Irish waters off the West Coast and as some of her crew are buried in Londonderry not far from us.The book is not a hard read, it is very well illustrated and the author has presented a very concise yet detailed history of U-1105 from her build and service in the Kriegsmarine through to her surrender and post-war evaluation and eventual destruction by the US Navy. ( Depth charge testing).It would seem that the main concern of the USN was to deny the USSR the chance to request the boat as a war prize so keeping its anti sonar coating out of Soviet hands was a motivating factor in how she came to be in the US and her present position off the Potomac.The book reads very well it is concise, very well illustrated showing her at all stages of her service in both navies and her movements around GB as a surrendered U Boat - her transit from Germany to Lisahally on Lough Foyle near Londonderry which for a time also accommodated Redmill whom 1105 had crippled in April 1945. ( Some excellent and never seen before photos of Redmill and the damage to her stern.Specific to this U Boat the author has produced a very good book and it is certainly worth buying I have no complaints about it to be honest.

This is a book around the relatively brief wartime history of U-1105. What makes the particular U-Boat special, is the fact that it was among the few to be equipped with the majority of innovative technologies, employed after 1943-44 and the heavy U-Boat losses, to try and counteract the detection and the limited submersion time limitations of the U-Boats while entering the so called "Total Undersea War" era.The book starts by detailing the new technologies and tactics. i.e. the Snorkel, the rubber coating, the bottoming technique, advanced sonar equipment, and then moves with information on the construction and training trials before narrating the first and last wartime patrol of U-1105 before surrendering to the Royal Navy.Finally it details the Royal Navy's trials before handing the U-Boat to the Americans for their part of trials and final depth charge tests, that kept the U-Boat to its final resting place at the bottom of the Potomac river, assumingly so that the Russians don't get their time on this special sub as a war prize.This is an easy-read, fully illustrated book, that closes with the author's dive in the muddy waters of the Potomac river to photograph the remains of the conning tower which is the part of the U-Boat not submerged in the muddy bottom.

Wer sich für die Thematik interessiert, bekommt hier hervorragende und zum Teil spannend erzählte Informationen über weithin unbekannte U-Boot-Technik kurz vor Kriegsende und natürlich über Unterwasserarcheologie. Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass es Forscher gibt, die sich mit so etwas heute noch so intensiv beschäftigen.Übrigens: Mein Schwiegervater hat diese erste und letzte Fahrt auf diesem Boot mitgemacht. Ich habe ihn sowohl auf dem Foto der Mannschaft als auch auf der Mannschaftsliste wiedergefunden. Leider war er schon verstorben, als das Buch veröffentlicht wurde.

Very thin on detail (Especially for the cost). I expected at least a reasonable technical overview of the sonar. You get one and half pages (thats with a 2 1/2inch margin either side of the page) on the GHG Balkon and one photo - No detection criteria, no drawings, no evaluation reports. The wiki page has much more detail (which is not a lot on wiki). Stay away if you already have knowledge on the Type VII. Sorry but would not recommend this book. Go with the Eberhard Rossler book.