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From Bob Hanna . . .
Sunday was a beautiful day--almost anywhere. At Dutch Springs the air temperature was in the 70s and the water temperature about 41. DeLandis McCoy and Gregg Bahney were my dive partners. DeLandis was trying out a new, for him, dry suit. I was experimenting with some new very thin and therefore less buoyant underwear plus some other new equipment. Gregg just wanted to dive. We did 2 40 minute dives spending much of our time on the bottom and not traveling very far because we were not certain how warm we would be. We visited things like the Trolley, the Crane, and the big boat near the Peninsula Platforms. The burgers supplied by Gregg (really his wife) cooked well on my grill.
From Darth Vern . . .
I did not dive last week so I had to find something interesting to write about. Across one of the newsgroups I subscribe to came this information:
Background:
The Black Panther, now officially a war prize of the U.S. Navy, arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire in early 1946.U-1105 Black Panther In February, research on her unique rubber-tiled skin was initiated at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington and at the MIT Acoustic Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The ship was then ordered to be retained in a state of readiness for explosives testing.
In October 1946 U-1105 was selected as a target for the testing of new live and dummy demolition outfits. The Bureau of Ships would then conduct follow-up evaluations of new salvage equipment utilizing the submarine as a test subject. The demolition testing was to be performed by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team from the Naval Powder Factory at Indian Head, Maryland. Orders were issued that U-1105 U-1105 Black Pantherbe taken under tow for delivery to Solomons Island, Maryland, for the deep-water tests. Not until 7 April 1948, however, were plans finally completed for progressive demolition and salvage tests on U-1105 in the Chesapeake Bay.
Two vessels were assigned to conduct the tests, the USS Sa/vager, (ARSD-3), and the USS Windlass (ARSD-4). By August 1948 U-1105 had been towed to the Chesapeake, and salvage tests began in earnest off Point No Point, where the ship was temporarily sunk. In midsummer 1949 the ship was raised, floated by pontoons, and towed into the Potomac River to an anchorage off Piney Point.
Final demolition of U-1105 was scheduled for 19 September 1949. For two daysDemolition of the U-1105 preceding the operation, the EOD team and Navy divers worked to suspend a new 250 lb. MK 6 depth charge loaded with a powerful HBX-2 explosive 30 feet below the skin of the port keel of the U-boat, under the forward edge of her conning tower. At precisely 12:30 p.m. the charge went off as planned. U-1105 was lifted from the water by the explosion, and then again by the secondary shock wave. She went down in 20 seconds in over 91 feet of water, with 65 feet of water over her. She landed upright on the bottom, her pressure hull cracked open by the explosion all the way around to the keel; but otherwise intact. The Navy left little evidence to mark the subject of their extensive testing. For the next 36 years the submarine would be all but lost to history. Yet the legend of a German submarine at the bottom of the Chesapeake would survive.
On 29 June 1985, the wreck was rediscovered by a team of sport divers led by Uwe Lovas of Virginia. In 1992-93, with support from the St. Clement's Island-Potomac River Museum, the Maryland Historical Trust, and Sea Colony Aqua Sports, the site became the subject of an archaeological survey expedition led by Michael Pohuski, John Kiser, and Donald Shomette of Maryland. Supported by financial assistance from the Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Map of Piney PointProgram, and a cooperative agreement between the Navy and the State of Maryland, the wreck was designated as Maryland's first historic shipwreck preserve in November 1994. The program, the first of its kind in the state, was designed to promote the preservation of historic shipwreck sites while making them accessible to the general public.
The U-1105 site is located approximately one mile west of Piney Point, Maryland at latitude 38° 08" 10' N. longitude 76° 33" 10' W. Between April and December, a blue and white buoy marks the lower gun deck of the wreck. The conning tower rises to within 68 feet of the surface. The wood-covered main deck fore and aft of the conning tower is occasionally exposed by the drifting silt beds. Points of interest include the command center, the upper and lower gun decks, the deck gun support pedestals and ammunition containers, and the starboard saddle tank with the rupture line caused by the 1949 demolition tests. The wreck is well preserved, and largely intact. Seasonally, thick layers of marine growth appear and then disappear on the site, often covering structural features.
Collecting artifacts from the site is strictly prohibited. U-1105, a property of the United States Navy, is protected by federal and state law. It is illegal to remove artifacts or disturb the site in any way. If any unusual or important artifact is observed, please do not disturb it, but report its presence, and location if possible, to the Maryland State Underwater Archaeologist (410-514-7662), the St. Clements Island-Potomac River Museum (301-769-2222), or the St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks (301-475-5621). In the event of a diving accident call the Diver Alert Network (919-684-8111). The United States Coast Guard monitors all VHF radio communication on Channel 16.
Mooring and Diving
U-1105 is a fragile historic site. This is an advanced dive and can be a low visibility environment. Please follow standard deep diving guidelines established by the Recreational Scuba Training Council.
I am presently working on an arrangement to dive this off of a charter that runs from Tall Timbers Marina in Herring Creek, Tall Timbers MD, I will forward more information as it is available. This could be a very good day trip.
ALSO
I am hoping to dive Mt. Storm at least once this year. It can be done as a long day trip or maybe a camp overnight. There is supposedly new owners to the dive shop right near there, so anyone interested, drop me an email.
Keep on diving and LIVE THE ADVENTURE!!!
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