I was in Chicago a while back visiting my son. We went down to the museum that houses the U-505. The new display is very impressive. We were standing aft of the submarine, looking forward, when I noticed that the starboard screw was lower than the port screw by about a foot or so. I asked the curator whether this was by a result of battle damage bending the propellor shaft or a design feature. He did not know. My guess is battle damage. Does anyone know for sure?
According to Hans Goebeler in his memoir _Steal Boat Iron Hearts_ 600 lb depth charges were dropped on U-505 before capture. The driving planes were jammed making the boat difficult to surface, and the main rudder was jammed causing the boat to be stuck in a tight starboard turn. He does not mention a bent propeller shaft. Greg C.
Dear Chariot Whiskey: As far I know the history of the capture of U-505, the propellor don't bend in the attack. The technicians of the Task Group, disconnected the propellor's axis and clutchs and connect for turn freely the electrical motors in function as generators and supply the electrical pumps and other subsystems, following run at high velocity, necessary for mantain afloat the u-boot. -This is the reason for in these photos, that you must known are unbalanced, and the bow below the water. Intesting lectures? These books, for eixample: Amazon.com: Hunt and Kill: U-505 and the U-boat War in the Atlantic (0978193271401): Theodore P. Savas: Books Amazon.com: U-505: The Final Journey (9781591149675): James E. Wise Jr.: Books Jan.
