Postcard from the U-505

There are only five German U-Boats left from World War II…and only one in the United States. It is found at the Museum of Science and Industry, on Chicago’s South Side. It was here that I first saw the U-505 and toured inside to get an all-to-brief view of what life was like aboard a WWII German sub.

The story of the U-505 and how it came to be in Chicago is as interesting as being inside it. Launched in 1941, it was on its 12th patrol when it was spotted off the coast of West Africa in June of 1944. A US Naval Task Force, led by the carrier USS Guadalcanal under the command of Captain Daniel Gallery (a Chicago native), went after it…and after several attacks by depth charges and from the air, it was forced to the surface. Gallery had formulated a plan prior to the battle on how a U-Boat might be captured in tact.

The German crew quickly abandoned ship, but opened a sea valve to scuttle her. But, the Americans moved rapidly to board the vessel and capture it before it could sink. Thankfully, the Germans did not properly set the additional explosive charges and the Americans found and disarmed them and shut off the sea valve and to prevent the boat from taking on more water.

The partially submerged boat was then secretly towed over 1,700 miles to Bermuda…the first time a ship of war had been captured at sea since the 19th century. The crew was eventually taken to a secret POW camp in Louisiana and kept incommunicado until the war ended. This was a violation of the Geneva Convention for treatment of war prisoners, but the U.S. did not want the German high command to know we had the boat and all of its secret codes and devices. If the Germans knew, they would change their codes and the US would no longer have access to German communications. The information gathered on the U-505 turned out to be quite valuable.

To make a long and interesting story very short, the museum eventually acquired the boat, restored it, and put it on display for all to see. I’ve only briefly covered the highlights of this fascinating war story. The whole history of the U-505, its patrols and eventual capture is worth a read and can be found on a special Wikipedia Web page…and of course on display in the museum.

The pictures I have here are only of the outside of the U-505. I was not allowed to take photos inside. I can tell you it was quite cramped and very hard to even imagine how these sailors lived.

A U-boat would go out on patrol for approximately 100 days. There were 59 crewmen aboard and each was given one uniform. No change of clothing, no baths or showers, and temperatures constantly in the 90’s or higher. The few bunks were shared by other crewmen on different shifts. Only officers had their own bunks. One can only image the smells. If by chance, one crewman came on board with lice, everyone had lice very quickly. This was not a good way to live, especially since U-Boat sailor casualties for the war were 75%!

Ventilation was done from hatches on deck when the boat was running surfaced, which meant no fresh air when the boat submerged. The engines used when on the surface were twin diesels which produce their own wondrous smells. When submerged, the boat switched to electric motors powered by batteries kept charged by the diesel engines when surfaced.

Serving aboard a World War II German submarine was most decidedly not a desirable life for a sailor. If you would like see why in graphic detail, I suggest you watch the movie, “Das Boot” (The Boat). It is rather gritty and oh-so-true to the real thing.

I must say I was a bit awe-struck being aboard the U-505, seeing how the men lived on their long patrols. I knew long ago it was a terrible life…and this visit only reinforced those thoughts and my admiration for all submarine sailors of that era. My own uncle served aboard an American submarine in the Aleutians during that war, but would never talk of it.

In the end, one can only conclude it is the average man, the ordinary Joe who fights in any war…it is he and his family that pays the terrible price for the ambitions of our supposed leaders, no matter what country.