Paula 1934

Paula

Helsingør

1934 2/8

Damp-lastskib med 1 dæk og well dæk.

 Helsingør Dampmask. 4 cyl. med udstødskedel. Type L.E.S. 8

1250 IHP

12,5 kt.

 

 1549 2700   1941 Montana 1940 4 apr. Var i havn i New York. Hvor hun blev lagt op.

1941 2 aug. overtaget af Amerikanske myndigheder (under Panama flag).

1941 11 sep. Sejlede i konvoj S.C. 42, på rejse fra Wilmington N.C. til Island. Ramt af torpedo fra U 105 og sank. 28 mand omkom.

 1941 11 sep.

Torpederet og sænket af Tyske U 105, i Danmarkstrædet.

 

Montana


Montana under her former name Paula. Photo Courtesy of Library of Contemporary History, Stuttgart

Name Montana
Type: Steam merchant
Tonnage 1,549 tons
Completed 1934 - Helsingørs Jernskibs-og Maskinbyggeri A/S, Elsinore 
Owner US Maritime Commission, Washington DC 
Homeport Panama 
Date of attack 11 Sep 1941 Nationality:      Panaman
 
Fate Sunk by U-105 (Georg Schewe)
Position 63.40N, 35.50W - Grid AD 7195
- See location on a map -
Complement 25 (18 dead and 7 survivors).
Convoy
Route Wilmington - Reykjavik 
Cargo Timber 
History Completed in August 1934 as Danish Paula for A/S D/S Vesterhavet (J. Lauritzen), Esbjerg. In April 1940 laid up in New York. On 2 Aug, 1941, seized by the US Maritime Commission, renamed Montana and registered in Panama. 
Notes on loss

At 16.50 hours on 11 Sep, 1941, the unescorted Montana was hit near the bridge by one of four torpedoes fired by U-105 and sank by the bow about 400 miles northeast of Cape Farewell.

 

U-105

Type

IXB

  
Ordered 24 May 1938
Laid down 16 Nov 1939 AG Weser, Bremen (werk 968)
Launched 15 Jun 1940
Commissioned 10 Sep 1940 Kptlt. Georg Schewe
Commanders
10 Sep 1940 - 6 Jan 1942   Kptlt. Georg Schewe (Knights Cross)
7 Jan 1942 - 30 Sep 1942   Heinrich Schuch
1 Oct 1942 - 29 Oct 1942   Oblt. Hans-Adolf Schweichel
29 Oct 1942 - 2 Jun 1943   Kptlt. Jürgen Nissen
Career
9 patrols
10 Sep 1940 - 31 Dec 1940   2. Flottille (training)
1 Jan 1941 - 2 Jun 1943   2. Flottille (front boat)
Successes 22 ships sunk for a total of 123,924 GRT
1 warship sunk for a total of 1,546 tons
Fate

Sunk 2 June, 1943 near Dakar, in position 14.15N, 17.35W, by depth charges from a one-of-a-kind French Potez-CAMS 141 flying boat named "Antarés" of Flotille d'exploration 4E, French Naval Air Force. 53 dead (all hands lost).

See the 23 ships hit by U-105 - View the 9 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-105 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Hammer (5 Aug 1941 - 12 Aug 1941)
   Grönland (12 Aug 1941 - 27 Aug 1941)
   Markgraf (27 Aug 1941 - 11 Sep 1941)
   Steuben (14 Nov 1941 - 2 Dec 1941)

Georg Schewe

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 30)


Successes
16 ships sunk for a total of 85,779 GRT

Born   24 Nov 1909 Ueckermünde, Pomerania
Died   14 Oct 1990 (80)


Georg Schewe

Ranks

1 Apr 1930 Offiziersanwärter
1 Jul 1934 Fähnrich zur See
1 Sep 1935 Oberfähnrich zur See
1 Jan 1936 Leutnant zur See
1 Oct 1937 Oberleutnant zur See
1 Oct 1939 Kapitänleutnant
1 Aug 1943 Korvettenkapitän

Decorations

20 Dec 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class
24 Jan 1940 U-boat War Badge 1939
13 Jun 1940 Iron Cross 1st Class
23 May 1941 Knights Cross

U-boat Commands

U-boat From To
U-60  22 Jul 1939  19 Jul 1940    6 patrols (104 days) 
U-105  10 Sep 1940  6 Jan 1942    4 patrols (236 days) 

Personal information

Schewe 2
Kapitänleutnant Georg Schewe at the periscope

Georg Schewe started his naval career in October 1928 as seaman. Since 1932 he attended the officer courses and became in 1936 an officer. In the same year he changed to the U-boat force and got the solid pre war training. In July 1939 he commissioned the type IIC boat U-60. After 6 patrols with one success he left the boat in August 1940 and commissioned in the some month U-105.

From January 1941 he operated mostly in Atlantic waters. But his peak he reached on his second patrol when he sank during the spring of 1941 in the middle of the Atlantic 12 ships for a total of 71,450 tons. It was the second most successful patrol of the whole war, second only to Hessler's incredible patrol on U-107. Georg Schewe left the boat in February 1942.

He then became a staff member of the FdU Mittelmeer (FdU Mediterranean). After more than two years in this position he was during the autumn 1944 for a month the flotilla commander of the 33rd Flotilla. From October 1944 he was staff member of the OKM (Naval High Command). After the surrender he spent a year in allied captivity.

Patrol info for Georg Schewe


  U-boat Departure Arrival    
1. U-60 4 Nov 1939   Kiel  21 Nov 1939   Kiel  Patrol 1, 18 days
2. U-60 4 Dec 1939   Kiel  4 Dec 1939   Wilhelmshaven    1 days
3. U-60 12 Dec 1939   Wilhelmshaven  19 Dec 1939   Kiel  Patrol 2, 8 days
4. U-60 9 Jan 1940   Kiel  21 Jan 1940   Wilhelmshaven  Patrol 3, 13 days
5. U-60 14 Feb 1940   Wilhelmshaven  29 Feb 1940   Wilhelmshaven  Patrol 4, 16 days
6. U-60 4 Apr 1940   Wilhelmshaven  27 Apr 1940   Kiel  Patrol 5, 24 days
7. U-60 18 May 1940   Kiel  11 Jun 1940   Kiel  Patrol 6, 25 days
8. U-105 24 Dec 1940   Kiel  31 Jan 1941   Lorient  Patrol 7, 39 days
9. U-105 22 Feb 1941   Lorient  13 Jun 1941   Lorient  Patrol 8, 112 days
10. U-105 3 Aug 1941   Lorient  20 Sep 1941   Lorient  Patrol 9, 49 days
11. U-105 8 Nov 1941   Lorient  13 Dec 1941   Lorient  Patrol 10, 36 days
10 patrols, 340 days at sea

Ships hit by Georg Schewe

Date U-boat Commander Name of ship Tons Nat. Convoy
19 Dec 1939 U-60 Georg Schewe City of Kobe [Mine] 4,373 br FS-56
 
9 Jan 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe   Bassano 4,843 br
26 Jan 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Lurigethan 3,564 br SL-61
8 Mar 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Harmodius 5,229 br SL-67
18 Mar 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe   Medjerda 4,380 br SL-68
19 Mar 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Mandalika 7,750 nl SL-68
21 Mar 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Benwyvis 5,920 br SL-68
21 Mar 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Clan Ogilvy 5,802 br SL-68
21 Mar 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe   Jhelum 4,038 br SL-68
5 Apr 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe   Ena de Larrinaga 5,200 br
6 May 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Oakdene 4,255 br OG-59
13 May 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Benvrackie 6,434 br OB-312
15 May 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Benvenue 5,920 br OB-314
16 May 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Rodney Star 11,803 br
1 Jun 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe   Scottish Monarch 4,719 br OB-319
11 Sep 1941 U-105 Georg Schewe Montana 1,549 pa
  85,779

16 ships sunk (85,779 tons).

Legend
We have a picture of this vessel.
[Mine] indicates the vessel was hit by a mine laid by said U-boat.


About ranks and decorations
Ranks shown in italics are our database inserts based on the rank dates of his crew comrades. The officers of each crew would normally have progressed through the lower ranks at the same rate.

Listing of all U-boat commanders