U-505
Unterseeboot 505 is a Type IXC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine, notable for her capture by the United States Navy in 1944, and presently a museum ship at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Codebooks and other secret documents were captured from the U-505 which assisted Allied codebreaking operations.
Her keel was laid down June 12, 1940, by Deutsche Werft AG of Hamburg. She was launched on 25 May 1941, and commissioned on 26 August 1941, with Kapitänleutnant Axel-Olaf Loewe in command. On 6 September 1942, Loewe was relieved by Kptlt. Peter Zschech. On 24 October 1943, Oberleutnant zur See Paul Meyer found himself in command (see below) for about two weeks until he was relieved on 8 November by Oblt. Harald Lange. Lange commanded the boat until her capture on 4 June 1944.
U-505 conducted twelve patrols, sinking eight ships totaling of 44,962 tons—three American, two British, and one each Norwegian, Netherlands, and Colombian.
The next to last ship sunk by U-505 was the three-masted Colombian schooner Roamar from Cartagena. The sailing vessel refused to stop for a warning shot and was then sunk by 22 rounds from U-505's 105 mm deck gun. Upon return to Germany (hastened by Kptlt. Loewe's attack of appendicitis shortly after sinking Roamar), Admiral Karl Dönitz's staff officers commented that, "The sinking of the Colombian schooner had better been left undone."
On 10 November 1942, the second watch officer and one lookout were seriously wounded in an air attack by a Lockheed Hudson aircraft of No. 53 Squadron RAF. The aircraft was shot down or damaged by her own bombs and crashed in the attack. The U-boat was damaged heavily and headed back. Twelve days later the wounded watch officer was transferred to the milchkuh ("milk cow") U 462.
After six months in Lorient for repairs U-505's next cruise was aborted several times due to equipment failure and sabotage. This happened so many times that she became the butt of jokes throughout the fleet at Lorient. Upon one return they found a sign painted in the docking area reading, "U-505's Hunting Ground". At a time when many U-boats were being sunk U-505's new commander, Kptlt. Peter Zschech overheard another U-boat commander joke, "There is one commander who will always come back... Zschech."
After 10 months in Lorient U-505 was once again crossing the Bay of Biscay on her way to the Atlantic Ocean. On 24 October 1943, Kptlt. Zschech, while in command of U-505 and under a heavy depth charge attack, committed suicide, the only such incident in the war. The first watch officer, Oblt. Paul Meyer, saved the boat and brought her back to port. (For his part in saving the ship and her crew from almost certain destruction after their commander had abandoned them, Meyer was merely, "absolved from all blame").
On 4 June 1944, United States Navy Task Group 22.3 (TG 22.3) captured U-505, the first time a US Navy vessel had captured an enemy at sea since 1815, when USS Peacock seized HMS Nautilus during the War of 1812.
U-505
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- U-Boat FlightDeck Chronograph Replica Watch
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- Once there, he noticed one of the muse um's popular exhibits was the U-505, the German submarine -- or U-boat -- that terrorized the Atlantic in World War ...
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- Douglas Alexander writes in his excellent, if dated, guide to Mozambique that Ibbeken was ?surprised that the British ship did not suspect his U-boat's ...
- I was a prison guard at the 'U-boat hotel'
- On another occasion two U-Boat officers, the commander and second in command, were brought to the camp and placed on guard after landing in Barrow. ...
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U-505 blogs
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- Toshiba Satellite U505-S2930 - Computer Shopper
- The Satellite U505-S2930 distinguishes itself among the many 13.3-inch laptops on the market with a pleasingly subtle design and decent performance. A few details expose that it's a budget entry, but you certainly get a lot for the ...
- New Review: Toshiba Satellite U505-S2930 - Computer Shopper Forums
- The U505-S2930 manages to deliver a unique look, welcome features, and appropriate performance, all in a package that's easy to carry. Some design and component details betray that this is a budget-conscious entry, but the $799.99 price ...
- Toshiba has launched the all-new Satellite U505-S2930 into the ...
- Toshiba(Toshiba PA3399U-1BRS Battery ) has launched the all-new Satellite U505-S2930 into the teeth of one of the most competitive laptop segments. This 13.3-inch thin-and-light is up against the likes of the Apple MacBook Pro, ...
- Toshiba Satellite U500/U505 Lightweight Notebook | iTech News Net ...
- The U500/U505, previously released in Europe, is boosted by either Intel or AMD processor platform. It has a 13.3-inch TruBrite HD display with LED backlight and a slot-loading DVD burner. The Satellite U500/U505 offers all round ...
U-505 after capture
U-505 gifts
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Attack and Capture; the Story of U-boat 505
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U-505: The Final Journey
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Samsung SLB-1137 Lithium-Ion Rechargeable Battery & Charger Kit for Digimax U-CA 3, U-CA 4, U-CA 505, U-CA 5, V600, and V700 Cameras
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Hunt and Kill: U-505 and the U-boat War in the Atlantic
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Attack and Capture;The Story of U-Boat 505
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WW2 U-boats
Background
The Armistice terms of 1918 required Germany to surrender all its U-boats, and the Treaty of Versailles forbade it to possess them in the future.In 1935, however, Adolf Hitler's Germany repudiated the treaty and forcefully negotiated the right to build U-boats. Britain was ill-prepared in 1939 for a resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, and during the early months of World War II the U-boats, which at that time numbered only 57, again achieved great successes.
The first phase, during which the U-boats generally operated singly, ended in March 1941, by which time many merchant ships were sailing in convoy, trained escort groups were becoming available, and aircraft were proving their effectiveness as anti-U-boat weapons.
In the next phase the Germans, having acquired air and U-boat bases in Norway and western France, were able to reach much farther out into the Atlantic, and their U-boats began to operate in groups (called wolf packs by the British). One U-boat would shadow a convoy and summon others by radio, and then the group would attack, generally on the surface at night. These tactics succeeded until radar came to the aid of the escorts and until convoys could be given continuous sea and air escort all the way across the Atlantic in both directions.
In March 1943, as in April 1917, the Germans nearly succeeded in cutting Britain's Atlantic lifeline, but by May escort carriers and very-long-range reconnaissance bombers became available. After the U-boats lost 41 of their number during that month, they withdrew temporarily from the Atlantic.
In the next phase, U-boats were sent to remote waters where unescorted targets could still be found. Although at first they achieved considerable successes, especially in the Indian Ocean, the Allied strategy of striking at the U-boats' supply vessels and putting all possible shipping into convoys again proved successful.
In the final phase the U-boats-then fitted with the snorkel (schnorkel) ventilating tube, which permitted extended underwater travel and greatly reduced the effectiveness of radar-returned to the coastal waters around the British Isles, but they sank few ships and themselves suffered heavy losses.
In World War II Germany built 1,162 U-boats, of which 785 were destroyed and the remainder surrendered (or were scuttled to avoid surrender) at the capitulation. Of the 632 U-boats sunk at sea, Allied surface ships and shore-based aircraft accounted for the great majority (246 and 245 respectively).
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U-505 links
- U-505 Submarine at the Museum of Science and Industry
- Experience the U-505 in this exclusive tour package. Purchase your tickets online.
- uboat.net - Boats - U-505
- The II WO and one lookout from U-505 were seriously wounded in an air attack by an Hudson aircraft (RAF Sqdn 53/L), which was lost in that attack. ...
- uboat.net - The Galleries
- U-505 being moved in 2004 - 11 images (Larry Rosenzweig) U-505 in its bunker in Chicago - 20 images (Thierry). U-534 at Birkenhead, England ...
- U-505 Sinking
- Information on Capture of U-505 on 4 June 1944
- U-505 Red Notebook
- Cover of a U-505 Red Notebook, measuring 7.5 cm in width and 11.1 cm in height. It has 48 remaining pages excluding a few that obviously have been torn out ...
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