U-505 Visit Pictures

[Ironclad2]

This summer I was doing some work at Fermilab, a physics lab outside of Chicago, and during my summer made a pilgrimage to the U-505 exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. While I'm sure most of you know the story of her better than I do, I thought I'd post some of my photos from the visit for everyone to see. If you search "U-505" in the forums, you can also find information on her, and a link to the museum's virtual tour of the inside of the sub.

Since the interior was partially "re-done" with "special effects" (sounds and flashing lights as the tour guide recites a monologue), and is thus considered an artist's intellectual property, I couldn't take pictures of the inside. :shifty:

First, the view of her as you enter the exhibit, from the bow looking aft. She was previously outdoors, and the elements were having an affect, so the vessel was moved inside, with the exhibit surriounding. You can see a tour group about to enter through a door that's been cut into the port hull.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0495.jpg

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0496.jpg

A view of the conning tower, showing some battle damage. After she was forced to the surface, fighters from the aircraft carrier in the allied strike group carried out a few strafing runs. The first man out of the hatch was the only casualty during the operation.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0497.jpg

A view of the twin screws, rudders, and aft torpedo tubes, one with outer doors open.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0498.jpg

Real versions of some familier pieces of tin from SHIII

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0500.jpg

A piston from one of her diesels. For scale, the description to the left is about the same size as a piece of standard letter paper.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0502.jpg

View of the bow, with a recently-fired shot. When she was captured, U-505 had aboard a few of the new German acoustic-homing torpedoes. At this point in the war, the Allies didn't even know the Kriegsmarine had such weapons yet.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0503.jpg

A view of her underside, showing the "sonar dome".

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0507.jpg

A one-man life raft. If you thought the U-boat was cramped... (At 6'0", I would have to sit knees-to-chin to fit inside)

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0511.jpg

Closer view of the screw

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0512.jpg

[STEED]

Lucky sod. :damn:

Thank you for those great pictures. :yep: :up: :rock:

[ReallyDedPoet]

Nice pics :yep::up:


RDP

[Ironclad2]

A close up of the aft torpedo tube with outer door open. This really shows the effects of more than a decade of being stored outside. She has a fresh coat of paint, and was restored to be structurally-sound enough to let visitors walk through, but there are many spots like this where the rust and decay are apparent.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0513.jpg

Caffeinated chocolate, for nights on watch! :huh:

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0514.jpg

Side view of the conning tower, with the commander's ensign.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0515.jpg

A cross-section view of the pressure hull and exterior, as seen wile entering to take the tour (the tourguide chewed me out, especially after his "no pictures of the interior" talk). There's no good indicator of scale, but the pressure hull couldn't have been more than 1.5cm thick.


http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/243/Museum%20of%20Sci%20and%20Ind/IMG_0517.jpg

[Kapitan_Phillips]

Artists intellectual property my ass.

You should've said "I'm not inside yet. You should say "No pictures within the pressure hull" :p

[nikimcbee]

Artists intellectual property my ass.

You should've said "I'm not inside yet. You should say "No pictures within the pressure hull" :p

no photos inside???? WTF that's BS

How's that?
Ol' mcbee saves the day.
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/2463/scan0001az4.jpg (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/)

[August]

FYI the man who captured her, Admiral Daniel Gallery, is an accomplished writer. Besides "20,000 tons under the sea", the story of the U-505, which iirc is still sold at the museum gift shop he also wrote several books on navy life after the war. They're out of print now but if you run across a copy in a used book store pick it up. They're all good reads.

[nikimcbee]

http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/7552/scan0003cy7.jpg (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/)

more from the secret innards of the U-505.

[nikimcbee]

...and they need to dump the tour guide.:yep:

[HunterICX]

...and they need to dump the tour guide.:yep:

Indeed, in a Museum I like to walk my phase
and dont need a babbling tour guide who is rushing the tour around.

HunterICX

[CCIP]

...and they need to dump the tour guide.:yep:
Indeed, in a Museum I like to walk my phase
and dont need a babbling tour guide who is rushing the tour around.

HunterICX

They're not always bad!

When I toured the Soviet D-2 in St. Petersburg (pictures of which I showed before), the tour guide was a retired diesel sub captain. He absolutely loved the boat and the job too I suppose, and his personal experience really showed all through the tour.

But I guess when the tour guide is just a hired hand without much interest in subs, who's basically reciting a script - maybe not so cool. :hmm:

[Jimbuna]

Great photos :rock: Thanks for sharing :up:

[SmokinTep]

Good to see she is inside a building now. Last time I went there, she was outside.

[sunvalleyslim]

outstanding photos.........Makes me want to get to Chicago and take the tour. About the only thing I would want to go to Chicago for............

[Ironclad2]

...and they need to dump the tour guide.:yep:
Indeed, in a Museum I like to walk my phase
and dont need a babbling tour guide who is rushing the tour around.

HunterICX
I did write the museum a note about this. My suggestion was to give people a hand-held audio tour (the USS Nautilus tour used to use this) so that people would hear the history, but could also hang out longer in a compartment if they wanted. However, I imagine their reasons for doing the guided tour were a.) in a cramped U-boat it's necessary to keep people moving, else it gets very crowded very quickly; and b.) money. The exhibit was free, but the tour was an extra $5. Worth it once, not worth it twice, especially when the tour guides didn't know much more about the U-boats than was in the script for the tour.

Oh, and Kapitan_Phillips, that's precisely what I said. :p

[bookworm_020]

Nice photos! I should have got some on the midget Japanese Sub in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra when I was there last year.:cry:

[Mikey_Wolf]

Stunning photos, god alive, that is two places I want to visit now.

Kiel and Chicago. No prizes for guessing why! :D

Thanks for sharing them photographs guys.

[AkbarGulag]

Anyone notice there is a much larger use of wood in the German sub as opposed to a US sub of the era? I know Subs aren't built for their asthetics, so maybe this is a resource difference? I don't think I would have been allowed on the tour after the dressing down you recieved ^^ Thanks for taking one for the team ;)

Still, the boat has some pretty sexy lines despite her condition. Thanks for the pictures Ironclad, Mcbee. Always a pleasure seeing stuff like this.

[Kapitan_Phillips]

Anyone notice there isw a much larger use of wood in the German sub as opposed to a US sub of the era? I know Subs aren't built for their asthetics, so maybe this is a resource difference?

I think it was mainly because in the Pacific, inside the boat was very very hot, and very very humid, so wood would warp and ruin a whole lot faster than in an Atlantic U-Boat.

[Konovalov]

How did I miss this thread. :damn: :damn: Too much time in the Atlantic thanks to SHIII GW2.0 probably.

Great pics and well written commentry. :rock: Thanks for sharing. :up:

[AkbarGulag]

Anyone notice there isw a much larger use of wood in the German sub as opposed to a US sub of the era? I know Subs aren't built for their asthetics, so maybe this is a resource difference?
I think it was mainly because in the Pacific, inside the boat was very very hot, and very very humid, so wood would warp and ruin a whole lot faster than in an Atlantic U-Boat.

Ok, I will try and find some pics of the inside of a British and a Japanese sub. If the British interior looks like the German interior and the Japanese interior looks like the American interior, I would say you are on to something.

[Onkel Neal]

Great pics, great thread :up:

[Marriott]

great pics, thanks for sharing!