German submarine U-505

"USS Nemo" redirects here. For the submersible observation vessel, see DSV-5 Nemo.

U-505 shortly after being captured, pictured from the USS Pillsbury in preparation for towing
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-505
Ordered25 September 1939
BuilderDeutsche Werft AG, Hamburg-Finkenwerder
Yard number295
Laid down12 June 1940
Launched24 May 1941
Commissioned26 August 1941
FateCaptured by US Navy on 4 June 1944[1][2]
StatusPreserved as a museum ship[2]
General characteristics
TypeType IXC submarine
Displacement
  • 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length
  • 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a
  • 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam
  • 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
  • 2 shafts
  • 2 × diesel engines
  • 2 × electric motors
Speed
  • 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced
  • 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
Range
  • 13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth230 m (750 ft)
Complement48 to 56
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Identification codes: M 46 074
Commanders:
Operations:
  • 12 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 19 January – 3 February 1942
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 11 February – 7 May 1942
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 7 June – 25 August 1942
  • 4th patrol:
  • 4 October – 12 December 1942
  • 5th patrol:
  • 1 – 13 July 1943
  • 6th patrol:
  • 1 – 2 August 1943
  • 7th patrol:
  • 14 – 15 August 1943
  • 8th patrol:
  • 21 – 22 August 1943
  • 9th patrol:
  • 18 – 30 September 1943
  • 10th patrol:
  • 9 October – 7 November 1943
  • 11th patrol:
  • 25 December 1943 – 2 January 1944
  • 12th patrol:
  • 16 March – 4 June 1944
Victories: 8 merchant ships sunk
(45,005 GRT)
U-505 (IXC U-boat)
German submarine U-505 is located in Chicago metropolitan area
German submarine U-505
Coordinates41°47′30″N 87°34′53″W / 41.79167°N 87.58139°W / 41.79167; -87.58139 (Approximate location underground of U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry)
Built1941
ArchitectDeutsche Werft AG, Hamburg, Germany
NRHP reference No.89001231
Significant dates
Added to NRHP1989[3]
Designated NHL1989[4]

U-505 is a German Type IXC submarine built for Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. It was captured by the United States Navy on 4 June 1944 and survives as a museum ship in Chicago.

In her unlucky career, it had the distinction of being the "most heavily damaged U-boat to successfully return to port" in World War II, suffering six botched patrols, and becoming the only submarine in which a commanding officer killed himself in combat conditions.[5] On 4 June 1944, it was captured by United States Navy Task Group 22.3 (TG 22.3), one of six U-boats that were captured at sea by Allied forces during the war. All but one of U-505's crew were rescued by the Navy task group. The submarine was towed to Bermuda in secret, and her crew was interned in an American prisoner-of-war camp, where they were kept in isolation. The Navy classified the capture as top secret and went to great lengths to prevent the Germans from discovering it.

In 1954, U-505 was donated to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. It is now one of four German World War II U-boats that survive as museum ships, and one of just two Type IXCs still in existence, along with U-534.

  1. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-505". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
  2. ^ a b Kemp 1999, p. 193.
  3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 23 January 2007.
  4. ^ "U-505 (German Submarine)". National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  5. ^ Miller, Nathan (1987). The U.S. Navy: An Illustrated History. U.S. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-517-38597-5.