...gone to the U-505 museum in Chicago? I would just die if I come that close to a real type IX U-boat!!!

And what about the British in Liverpool I think and the museum of the U-835 which was rescued some time ago?

I might have the locations and the U-boat's numbers wrong (my memory is quite awful) but you guys surely know which museums I am talking about. I mean, how many original U-boats are on exhibitions nowadays?

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Nope.

but I have seen and toured U-10 in Wilhelmshaven--I also know its last Commander who runs the Munich Submariners Association--Herrn Juergen Weber.

Ive also toured U 2540 in Bremerhaven (on a day that its surviving vets were having a reunion, they saw my U boat sitckpin and asked about it and I told them that U 181s vets had given it to me and made Susanne and I a part of their crew--to which they gave me a free U 2540 cap--and a book and several postcards).

Finally, I toured the only type VII-C to still exist--it was U 995 in Laboe--near the Marine Memorial and just down the beach from Moltenort and the U boat memorial.

[ 04. November 2002, 04:33 PM: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

Wow ! over 5000 posts my friend, congrats !

Ok back to topic. When you toured the U 2540 did the museum officials allow photography all through the boat ? If so did you click off thrre plus roles ?

E

You are a luck man Carl. But you two ave e conused. Are there two U-505s, or has one of you mistyped.

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'England confides that every man will do his duty' Nelson
'I'm a Norfolk man, and glory in being so' Nelson

Proud to be a GRUNT

Friedrich,

For latest information on the 'Liverpool' U-Boat (U-534), go to ; -

http://uboat.net/special/museums/display.php?id=11

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"Stand by to pull me out of the seat if I get hit" - Guy Gibson

Thank you Erich and yep--I was allowed to take as many pics as I wished. I think I used up 2-3 rolls of film still not developed yet. I even took a few pics through the Periscopes of two of the u boats as the optics still worked then. I took some from either U 10 or the Minewseepers optics of actual war damages buildings still standing then---way across the harbor--still undeveloped for lack of funds. Ive also got tons of pics at the Uboat Archiv in Cuxhaven/Altenbruch (Horst Bredows place) but still not yet developed. At that time--the Wolfgang Luth Room was off-limits, so next time I go--im making a special point to go to Luths room.

Ooops, sorry about that Bish, and thanks for pointing it out--I Meant U 995 in Laboe. U 505 is in Chicago--and was the boat that my deceased friend Hans Goebeler served on.

Martin--the pics you see of U 534 are pics that my friend Susanne took of it.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

OK. So, I was right! Thanks for the site, Martin!

Carl, congratulations for your 5.000th post!!! I wonder which medal you are getting now!

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"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Thank you and I Dont Know maybe the Regimental Badge with the Crest to the 51st Infantry Regiment? or Maybe just maybe, my 15th jager Kompanie von Sachsen Regiment Loyalty to the Regiment Cross. One CAN always WISH. [img]smile.gif[/img]

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

How about we be all content with what we have so far...and maybe a change in an avatar ?
let's see what Otto comes up with the way of surprises ? !

E

I was just recently in Chicago...I didnt know.

But next time Im there, I HAVE to see it.

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"If your gonna buy the angel s**t, you might as well go for the zombie package as well."
-George Carlin

I'm now living in Chicago, and I visited the U-505 last month, photos will be posted.

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

I have had bad results when I let the film sit around after being used. I recommend getting film processed within a few weeks of using it.

The U-505? Yep, I've been aboard. It was captured by Chicago's own Admiral Daniel Gallery's task group and has been toured by million at Chicago's Museum of Science Industry.

Some neat U-505 links:

Capture of U-505 on 4 June 1944

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq91-1.htm

On 4 June 1944, a hunter-killer group of the United States Navy captured the German submarine U-505. This event marked the first time a U.S. Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the nineteenth century. The action took place in the Atlantic Ocean, in Latitude 21-30N, Longitude 19-20W, about 150 miles off the coast of Rio De Oro, Africa. The American force was commanded by Captain Daniel V. Gallery, USN, and comprised the escort Carrier Guadalcanal (CVE-60) and five escort vessels under Commander Frederick S. Hall, USN: Pillsbury (DE-133) Pope DE-134), Flaherty (DE-135), Chatelain (DE-149), and Jenks (DE-665). ...

The task group sailed from Norfolk, Virginia, on 15 May 1944 for an anti-submarine patrol near the Canary Islands. For two weeks they searched unsuccessfully, even steaming as far south as Freetown, Sierra Leone, in a vain effort to locate a U-boat. On Sunday, 4 June 1944, with fuel running low, the warships' reluctantly turned north and headed for Casablanca. Ironically, not ten minutes later at 1109 that morning, USS Chatelain (DE-149), Lieutenant Commander Dudley S. Knox, USNR, made sonar contact on an object just 800 yards away on her starboard bow. Guadalcanal immediately swung clear at top speed, desperately trying to avoid getting in the way, as Chatelain and the other escorts closed the position.

In the minutes required to identify the contact definitely as a submarine, however, Chatalain closed too rapidly and could not attack--as her depth charges would not sink fast enough to intercept the U-boat. The escort held her fire instead, opened range and setup a deliberate attack with her "hedgehog" (ahead-thrown depth charges which explode on contact only) battery. Regaining sonar contact after a momentary loss due to the short range, Chatelain passed beyond the submarine and swung around toward it to make a second attack with depth charges.

As the ship heeled over in her tight turn, one of two General Motors FM-2 "Wildcat" fighter planes launched overhead by Guadalcanal, sighted the submerged U-boat and dived on it, firing into the water to mark the submarine's position. Chatelain steadied up on her sound bearing and moved in for the kill. A full pattern of depth charges set for a shallow target splashed into the water around the U-boat. As their detonations threw geysers of spray into the air, a large oil slick spread on the water; the fighter plane overhead radioed "You struck oil! Sub is surfacing!" Just six and one-half minutes after Chatelain's first attack, U-505 broke the surface with its rudder jammed, lights and electrical machinery out, and water coming in.

As the submarine broached only 700 yards from Chatelain, the escort opened fire with all automatic weapons that would bear and swept the U-boat's decks. Pillsbury, Lieutenant George W. Casselman, USNR, and Jenks, Lieutenant Commander Julius F. Way, USN, farther away, and the two "Wildcats" overhead all joined the shooting and added to the intense barrage. Wounded in the torrent of fire and believing that his submarine had been mortally damaged by Chatelain's depth charges, the commanding officer of U-505 quickly ordered his crew to abandon ship. So quickly was this command obeyed that scuttling measures were left incomplete and the submarine's engines continued to run.

The jammed rudder caused the partially-submerged U-505 to circle to the right at a speed near seven knots. Seeing the U-boat turning toward him, the commanding officer of Chatelain ordered a single torpedo fired at the submarine in order to forestall what appeared to be a similar attack on himself. The torpedo passed ahead of U-505, which by now appeared to be completely abandoned. About two minutes later, the escort division commander ordered cease fire and called away Pillsbury's boarding party.

While Chatelain and Jenks picked up survivors, Pillsbury sent its motor whaleboat to the circling submarine where Lieutenant (junior grade) Albert L. David, USN, led the eight-man party on board. Despite the probability of U-505 sinking or blowing up at any minute and not knowing what form of resistance they might meet below, David and his men clambered up the conning tower and then down the hatches into the boat itself. After a quick examination proved the U-boat was completely deserted (except for one dead man on deck - the only fatality of the action), the boarders set about bundling up charts, code books, and papers, disconnecting demolition charges, closing valves, and plugging leaks. By the time the flood of water had been stopped, the U-boat was low in the water and down by the stern.

Meanwhile, Pillsbury twice went alongside the turning submarine to put over tow lines and each time the escort's side was pierced by the U-boats' bow plane. Finally, with three compartments flooded, she was forced to haul clear to attend to her own damage. The boarding party was then reinforced by a party from Guadalcanal. Led by Commander Earl Trosino, USNR, the carrier's men completed temporary salvage measures, and took a towline from Guadalcanal. The salvage crew was later joined by Commander Colby G. Rucker, USN, who arrived with the seaplane tender Humbolt (AVP-21).

In an ingenious solution to the heavy flooding, the salvage crew disconnected the boat's diesels from her motors. This allowed the propellers to turn the shafts while under tow. After setting the main switches to charge the batteries, Guadalcanal towed the U-boat at high speed, turning the electric motors over which recharged the boat's batteries. With power restored, the salvage crew could use the U-boat's own pumps and air compressors to finish pumping out seawater and bring her up to full surface trim.

After three days of towing, Guadalcanal was relieved of her burden by the fleet tug Abnaki (ATF-96). Arriving with the tug was the tanker Kennebec (AO-36), sent to provide much-needed fuel to the hunter-killer group. On Monday, 19 June 1944, U-505 was brought into Port Royal Bay, Bermuda, after a tow of 1,700 miles.

Fifty-eight prisoners had been taken from the water during the action. One man had been killed and three (the commanding officer, executive officer, and one enlisted man of the U-boat) wounded. For his part in saving the abandoned submarine, Lieutenant (jg) David was awarded the Medal of Honor; Torpedoman's Mate Third Class A. Knispel and Radioman Second Class S. E. Wdowiak, each received the Navy Cross; and Commander Trosino received the Legion of Merit.

The task group itself was awarded the Presidential Unit citation, in part because of the unique and difficult feat of boarding and capturing an enemy warship on the high-seas--something the U.S. Navy had not accomplished since the 19th-century. More significantly, however, the capture of codebooks on U-505 allowed American cryptanalysts to occasionally break the special "coordinate" code in enciphered German messages and determine more precise locations for U- boat operating areas. In addition to vectoring in hunter-killer task groups on these locations, these coordinates enabled Allied convoy commanders to route shipping away from known U-boat locations, greatly inhibiting the effectiveness of German submarine patrols. ...

The captured submarine was investigated by Navy intelligence and engineering officers during 1945 and then promptly slated for disposal. The intention was to use the hulk for gunnery and torpedo target practice, a fate similar to those of many other captured enemy submarines.

In 1946, however, Father John Gallery learned of this plan from his brother (then Admiral Daniel Gallery) and called the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) President Lenox Lohr to see if MSI would have an interest in saving U-505. The museum, established by Chicago businessman Julius Rosenwald as a center for "industrial enlightenment" and public science education, specialized in interactive exhibits, not just view displays and artifacts. Lohr immediately revealed 10-year old plans to include a submarine in the exhibits of the museum and began a plan to bring the U-505 to Chicago.

The people of Chicago raised $250,000 to help prepare the boat for the tow and installation at the museum. In September 1954, U-505 was donated to Chicago at no cost to the U.S. Government. On September 25, 1954 U-505 was dedicated as a war memorial and as a permanent exhibit. In 1989, the U-505--as the only Type IX-C boat still in existence--was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Museum of Science & Industry: U-505

http://www.msichicago.org/exhibit/U505/U505home.html



The U-505 on Lake Michigan with the 1954 Chicago skyline in the background.

[ 19. April 2003, 12:23 PM: Message edited by: Crapgame ]

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"The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past." - William Faulkner

Thanks Crapgame--luckily though--ive never experianced any problems and hopefully not this time either.

My problem is lack of funds to get them developed and or--funds usually spent on militaria. Most of the more important rolls were developed as soon as i got back--I.e. the U 181 Reunion, visit with My Knights Cross Recipient friend, Heidelberg, SOME Laboe pics, and some others.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

U.S. Colors fly over captured U-505



Task Group 22.3 Commander, Captain D. V. Gallery, presenting U-505's flag to ADM Jonas H. Ingram at Navy Department, Washington D.C.

http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-505.htm

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Are there still U-Boats on continental Europe?

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Erwin :

Yes, in Germany, one very large and existing XXI in harbor. 2-3 XXI's in an Old Hamburg ? u-boat pen which is closed to the public and I think in the Deutsche Museum in München there are several mini-subs, including a Seeteufel.

Carl has a better understanding of this since he has visited several locations in the past.

E

Thanks Erich.

Hi Erwin--yep.

U 10 in Wilhelmshaven.
U 2540 in Bremerhaven.
U 995 in Laboe.

Sorry im so blunt--the library is about to close for the evening.

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Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

This is an old post but living near Chicago I did get to see the U-505 a while ago when I was younger. They also used to have the USS Silversides which fought in WWII and I was able to go aboard that as well. It was sent to Michigan I think.

Also when I was in Philly last year I was able to go aboard the USS Becuna and the battleship USS New Jersey.

Could someone answer me please how the heck those guys did it in those subs as small as the spaces were? A testament to them.

Greg

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"There are times when a Corps Commander's life does not count"
-General Winfield Scott Hancock at Gettysburg, July 3, 1863

Absolutely no idea! The USS Cod is open to the public in cleveland near the rock and roll hall of fame. I get the willies if I'm in for longer than 45 minutes (I was in U-505 when I was a little kid so it didn't bug me then.) That's some definite psycho-stress, even when there isn't a war on!!

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