ARCHiVE: The Adventures of "33lima"

[Viktor Schuetze]

[33lima]

19410901, 09:00
VON: U-105
AN: BdU
POS: BF6158
TORPs: 22
HULL: 100%
FUEL: 100%

Orders acknowledged. Casting off at 11:00.

[33lima]

KTB, U-105

1 September 1941

11:00       Cast off...



               ...and proceeding out of harbour...



               ...astern of minesweeper escort.



11:05      Decks cleared. Boat still behaving well after refit. Scattered clouds, wind light, visibility excellent and morale high!



11:15       Escort turns away. Proceeding to south, course plotted to patrol area.

[33lima]

KTB, U-105

2 September

08:20      In BF67, half way across Biscay. Proceeding on surface at economical cruising speed. Sea calm but visibility poor and frequent showers. No aircraft or shipping sighted.



September 3

09:30      NW of Cape Ortegal. Weather fine, visibility good.



               Intention: continue to proceed on surface, but increase speed as we near the western approaches to Gibraltar, due to increased risk of air attack.

[33lima]

KTB, U-105

4 September

14:00           West of Lisbon. Squally showers. Wind picking up from W. No contact.



6 September    West of Gibraltar. Rain holding off but seas heavy in Westerly winds 14-15 m/s. Intention - pass through Canaries, but out of sight of land.

[33lima]

STATUS REPORT

19410907, 22:00
VON: U-105
AN: BdU
POS: DH91
TORPs: 22
HULL: 100%
FUEL: 86%

Proceeding to patrol area. No sightings of ships or aircraft. Wind 14 m/s from W, rain squalls, visibility fair to poor. Resuming radio silence until patrol area reached.

[33lima]

KTB, U-105

7 September

22:30      In DH89, in very dark but clear conditions, bridge watch report ship approaching, off port bow. Single steamer.



              Increased speed and turned to port onto interception course.



22:33     Dived for submerged attack. Steamer confirmed to be flying Red Ensign.



22:40     Torpedo fired at 350m at port broadside of steamer. Probable strike heard but no explosion. Steamer does not react.



22:45     Continued past steamer and fired stern tube at 450m. Miss. Torpedo eventually explodes well beyond target.

22:50     Further periscope observation indicates steamer may be unarmed. Surfaced for gun action.



22:55     Steamer engaged with HE. Many hits. No return fire. Steamer turns searchlights on us but they go out after several rounds aimed at bridge.



23:00 Target on fire and slowly settling on a level keel. Cease fire.



23:10 Steamer sinks. Resuming course to patrol area.

[33lima]

KTB, U-105

10 September

02:10     Changed course to intercept fast-moving ship reported in EK12 on northerly course, to our SSE.



02:50     In DU78, while still dark and well short of expected interception point, suddenly shelled from starboard by two escorts heading to cut us off. Must be radar-equipped. Alarm!



             Dived to 140m and turned in under approaching escorts. Then turned again and onto silent running.



03:10    Enemies making repeated depth charge attacks, but detonations are well astern and above. No damage so far.



03:30   Depth-charging continues. We frequently hear the enemy sound location apparatus in use against us.



           Unable to shake them off, so descend to 180m while making frequent changes of course and - when the cans are on their way down or exploding - speed.



03:50   Enemy still circling above us but depth charging has stopped.



           Intention – proceed on mean easterly course at creeping speed. If escorts still above us when battery charge becomes low, go to periscope depth and counterattack
           with torpedoes.

[33lima]

KTB, U-105

10 September

04:20       Screw sounds fading to starboard.



06:30       Return to periscope depth. All clear, surface. Resumed course to patrol area.

11 September

04:30      Conditions now poor, wind 15 m/s from E, rain, visibility poor.



11:30      Weather still very poor.



19:10      In EK48, WSW of Dakar. No contacts. Weather has improved.


 

[33lima]

KTB, U-105

12 September

06:45        In EK72, bridge watch spotted smoke and mastheads of single ship, 70 degrees to starboard, course NNW. Increased speed and altered course to identify contact.



06:55        Contact is small steamer on steady course. Came about onto parallel course and started to overhaul her.



07:10        Slowly pulling ahead of steamer. Intention - once abreast of target, turn in and submerge for torpedo attack from abeam.

[33lima]

KTB, U-105

12 September

07:10        Submerged just ahead of target's starboard beam.



07:40        Fired electric torpedo at 750m. Miss! No reaction from target, which is now drawing away ahead again.



08:30        Having turned away from target and opened out range again, surfaced and commenced to hook around target.



                 Intention - when well ahead, turn in then come onto reciprocal course for further submerged attack. Steamer carries large calibre gun on stern mount and sea state does not favour
                 deck gun action.

[33lima]

KTB, U-105

12 September

09:05      Turn to port to intersect steamer's course.



09:20      Steamer now ahead, fine off port bow.



              Turned slightly to starboard and submerged.

09:35      Fired single torpedo from steamer's port beam. Hit amidships.



               Steamer's stern gun no longer manned. Surface.



09:40       Ship is slowly sinking by the bow.





09:42       As ship sinks, crew start firing distress flares. No other ships in sight.



09:50       Ship sinks.



10:00       Re-plotted course to patrol area.



               Proceeding again to patrol area on surface at economical cruising speed. Sea state too rough to reload torpedoes so will dive once clear of area of sinking.

[33lima]

STATUS REPORT

19410912, 10:00
VON: U-105
AN: BdU
POS: EK72
TORPs: 18
HULL: 100%
FUEL: 80%

Sunk steamer 3,500 BRT in DH89, 7 September and a second one 2,000 BRT in EK 72, 12 September.  Wind 14 m/s from E, rain clearing away but still overcast, visibility fair. Proceeding to patrol area, resuming radio silence until arrival.

[Viktor Schuetze]

19410912, 13:00 VON: BdU AN: U-105 SO VERSTANDEN! LOGGED AND PLOTTED! WEITER GUTE JAGD!

[33lima]

STATUS REPORT

19410913, 03:00
VON: U-105
AN: BdU
POS: ET66
TORPs: 18
HULL: 100%
FUEL: 78%

Arrived in patrol area. Wind 3 m/s from WSW, visibility good.