The submarine's location, designated as the Black Panther Shipwreck Preserve, is one mile west of Piney Point Lighthouse in St. Mary's County.

The sub was launched into service in June 1944 as part of the feared German U-boat fleet which patrolled the Atlantic Ocean in search of Allied supply convoys.

Better naval tactics, the cracking of Germany's "Enigma" code and the use of radar and sonar combined, sinking more than 750 U-boats, soon helped the Allied forces reverse control of the Atlantic.

But technological advances continued on both sides. The Maryland sub is one of an estimated 10 that were coated with an experimental rubber skin designed to elude Allied sonar; it earned the nickname "Black Panther."

Modern day
On June 29 1985, the wreck of U-1105 was discovered by a team of sport divers led by Uwe Lovas, approximately one mile west of Piney Point, Maryland.

In November of 1994, it was designated as Maryland's first historic shipwreck preserve. 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 publi

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