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German U-Boat U505 in Chicago


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For my birthday today, my wife and daughter accompanied me to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It is home to, I believe, the only surviving U-Boat outside of Germany. The new display is really cool and looks like a french U-boat pen. The tour was really cool. It was a "light and sound" guided tour with sound and light effects. Cool artifacts displayed around the outside of the sub. Highly recommended if you are ever in Chicago. And if you don't have time to see it, make time. It is definitely worth the effort. Not to mention the rest of the museum. Very high quality. :thumbsup: Thought I'd share a few pics.

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Very nice. I saw pictures of when they brought her out of the water for the museum.

In 1973 I went with a C-5 to Cleveland for a airshow and got a chance to go on the U.S.S. Cod. They were restoring her at the airport, not far from where we parked our aircraft.

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This u-boat is pretty special because of the way it was acquired. I was somewhere west of Africa when it was discovered. After that, the Navy moved in some destroyer escorts to try to take her. With the aid of aircraft (Wildcat and Avenger, I think) strafing runs, they finally boarded her and towed the damaged u-boat to port.

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That new display looks fantastic. I went for a visit back around 1996 or so when it was outside.

Give the book "Iron Coffins" a read if you want to really know what life was like for a U boat crew.

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I'm really looking forward to seeing her again. Last time I was there I was in middle school in the 1970s!

Now if Revell would only shrink their 1/72 IXc down to a more manageable 1/144 like they did with the VIIc.

Edited by Jennings
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Boy, this brings back memories. I was on a Great Lakes training cruise in 1968, and got the opportunity to tour the U-boat, on display outside the museum. The one thing I remember was how small the sub was on the inside. I couldn't imagine how the crew could have lived in that small space for months at a time.

The new display looks really impressive.

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Yep. Like sardines. The tour guide said it could house upwards of 59 men. I think there were 23 beds. They called it hot bunking. When you woke up, someone was right there to take your smelly,sweaty,dirty,hot, and possibly mite infested cot. And there was two heads. One fore and one aft. Only problem with that was that for the first half of the sea tour, it was packed full of food and other important provisions. One crapper for over 50 guys. Wow. I can tell you, with or tour group of about 20 there wasnt much room to just move around. I can't imagine having to work or perform any tasks in those conditions. Oh, the guide also informed us that the average temperature in the control room, which was the coolest area in the sub, was about 95 degrees Fahrenheit. And in the engine room temps would be 20 to 30 degrees hotter. Yikes!

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For anyone interested in good books about life on U Boats, the book "Iron Coffins" written by Herbert Werner is an outstanding read (a must in my opinion). Wolfgang Luth's book "U Boat Ace" is a smaller book, but a fascinating read. "Black May" by Michael Gannon (author of "Operation Drumbeat"...another awesome book) is also a great read about the beginning of the decline of the U Boat threat (very detailed statistics, facts, and figures). There are many others but these four are among my favorites.

Regards,

Don

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Beyond books, if you want to get a small idea of what life was like in a U-Boat, check out the old Silent Hunters PC game. With some updates, it's incredibly realistic. If you end up playing anytime after mid-44, you pretty much need to forget about actually sinking any enemy ships and just try to stay alive. Even then, it's nearly impossible to complete more than a few patrols before you are done in.

Gives you some idea what these guys were up against. Brave men (boys mostly), I think the fatality rate for U-Boat crewman was close to 90%.

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Yep. Same plane. And you're right about the Stuka. Supposedly it is one of the most original stukas in existence. The spitfire is also pretty much unmolested. Don't forget about Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America land speed record holder jet car. It's almost an airplane. Powered by a GE J47 from an f-86. This was the first car to break 500 mph at Bonneville. MSI is second only to the Smithsonian in my opinion.

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I was at the U-505 two years ago and the museum did an outstanding job when the redid the restoration on the boat. What impressed me the most was the huge wall listing all the people that donated to the museum for both restorations.

There are two really interesting books on the sub, one written by the commander of the task force that captured her:

Twenty million tons under the sea by Daniel Gallery

and one written by one of the crewmembers who was on the sub for it's whole career to tell the other side of the story:

Steel Boats, Iron Hearts by Hans Goebeler

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Yep. Same plane. And you're right about the Stuka. Supposedly it is one of the most original stukas in existence. The spitfire is also pretty much unmolested. Don't forget about Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America land speed record holder jet car. It's almost an airplane. Powered by a GE J47 from an f-86. This was the first car to break 500 mph at Bonneville. MSI is second only to the Smithsonian in my opinion.

The Stuka lacks pants. The Stuka was captured by the RAF and given to the US. It's one of 2 Stukas left in the world and it still bears its battle scars in the form of the bullet holes it received on the ground.

The Spitfire is a BoB survivor.

Experiencing U-505 was bittersweet. I liked the restoration they gave her, except for two things. First, by cutting large holes in her side in order to attach a human ramp is an asinine way to preserve its historical value. I wonder if that could ever be restored. The other thing is the "4D" light and sound "experience." Adding lights and sounds, badly done I might add, diminishes the crew's true purpose and worst fears. I guess I'm a little snobby about it, but this stuff matters to me.

Edited by Exhausted
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Those holes were cut in the hull back when the U-505 was first put on display in the 1950s. The interior hatchways were also enlarged at the same time..in both cases to provide access for visitors. Until she was moved into her new "vault" a few years ago, she sat outdoors with enclosed entrance and exit walkways attached to the sides.

They did a lot of work on the interior as part of her recent renovation. I understand the conning tower had deteriorated especially badly inside, due to to the moisture from the exhalations and sweat of visitors over several decades.

I haven't taken the interior tour since she was moved inside. Last time I crawled through her she was still outdoors, and they hadn't added any special effects. Sounds pretty cheesy to me.

The only thing that bugs me about the current setup is that they force you to pose for one of those stupid "green screen" pictures before you can get to the exhibits next to the sub..even if you make it abundantly clear you don't want your picture taken and have no intention of buying a printout.

SN

Edited by Steve N
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