U 505
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U 505 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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.jpg) U 505 shortly after the capture |
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| Type : | IX C |
| Field Post Number : | M 46 074 |
| Shipyard: | German shipyard , Hamburg |
| Construction contract: | September 25, 1939 |
| Build number: | 295 |
| Keel laying: | June 12, 1940 |
| Launch: | May 24, 1941 |
| Commissioning: | August 26, 1941 |
| Commanders: |
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| Calls: | 8 patrols |
| Sinkings: |
8 ships (44,962 GRT) |
| Whereabouts: | boarded on June 4, 1944 / exhibit in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago |
U 505 was a Type IX C submarine ofthe German Navy . On June 4, 1944 - as the only German submarine in World War II - it was seized by US ships and successfullytowed asfar as Bermuda .
The Royal Navy captured U 570 on August 28, 1941, towed it to Iceland and on September 19, 1941 put it into service with the Royal Navy as HMS Graph . U 570 / HMS Graph was decommissioned in 1944 and scrapped in 1947. U 505 is now in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago . This is why U 505 has the nimbus of being the “only” submarine.
history
Construction and trial period
On June 12, 1940 U 505 was at the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg-Finkenwerder as construction no. 295 laid down. The launch took place on May 24, 1941 and on August 26, 1941 it was put into service under the then Lieutenant-Captain Axel-Olaf Loewe. Under his command, the boat's tower crest consisted of a leaping lion with an ax in its claws. The godfather of the boat was the Upper Bavarian market town of Schliersee .
Immediately after commissioning, the test and training trips were carried out in the Baltic Sea. On August 31, 1941, the acceptance test was in Kiel, which was followed by the noise measurement trips, which also led to the Bay of Danzig . On January 19, 1942, all work and exercises, such as operational training, torpedo and artillery shooting exercises, depth charges and tactical lessons, were completed. During this time U 505 was initially assigned to the 25th and later to the 27th U-Flotilla in Danzig . The boat and crew were now fully operational.
First patrol
The relocation trip from Kiel to Lorient from January 19 to February 3, 1942 was also the first patrol. 2562 nm were covered without touching the enemy, of which 2371 nm were over water. No ships were sunk on this voyage. U 505 now belonged to the 2nd U-Flotilla as a front boat .
Second patrol
The second patrol lasted from February 11 to May 7, 1942 and led into the waters off Freetown (West Africa).
- On March 5, U 505 sank the 5920 GRT British freighter Ben Mohr at position 6 ° 5 ′ N , 14 ° 15 ′ W with four torpedoes (two hits). Before Loewe ran out, he made sure that the ship's lifeboats were watertight and had provisions. A British plane rescued the ship's crew shortly afterwards.
- On March 6, two torpedoes hit the Norwegian tanker Sydhav with 7587 GRT at position 4 ° 47 ' N , 14 ° 57' W. His cargo of oil exploded so that the crew did not have time to water the lifeboats in a controlled manner. The sinking suction of the ship pulled the men who had jumped into the water into the depths. Few survivors managed to set up a lifeboat despite shark attacks and scoop out the lake water. U 505 appeared and distributed provisions, fresh water and bandages for the burns. A British escort rescued the survivors the next day.
In an unsuccessful attack on an unidentified ship on March 16, two torpedoes were fired. On March 29, the boat experienced the first depth charge .
- From April 2nd to 3rd, it pursued and torpedoed the American general cargo ship West Irmo (5775 GRT). Two hits were made with five torpedoes. The ship sank on April 4 at the position 2 ° 10 ' N , 5 ° 52' W , with all 44 crew members surviving and being picked up by an escort, but ten of 65 African dock workers died.
- The sinking of the 5759 GRT and wool-laden Dutch freighter Alphacca with a torpedo hit on April 4 at position 1 ° 50 ′ N , 7 ° 40 ′ W did not claim any victims. The 14-year-old freighter sank quickly after a stern hit. The crew of the submarine showed the castaways the way to the nearby Ivory Coast and left the sinking site.
When U 505 arrived back in Lorient on May 7, 1942 after 86 days at sea, it had covered 13,252 nm, of which 12,937 nm were over water. During the following stay in the shipyard for repairs and new equipment, the crew had leave until June 6, 1942.
Third patrol
This trip lasted from June 7th to August 25th 1942 and led to the Caribbean.
- On June 28, north of the Windward Islands, the American freighter Sea Thrush (5447 GRT) on its way from Philadelphia via Trinidad to Cape Town with three torpedoes (three hits) at position 22 ° 40 ′ N , 61 ° 10 ′ W sunk. The ship had loaded aircraft parts. There were no dead.
- The next victim on June 29 was the American Liberty Ship Thomas McKean (7191 GRT) coming from New York . It was hit by a torpedo at position 22 ° 0 ′ N , 60 ° 0 ′ W (one missed shot). To sink the ship, another 72 rounds were fired with the 10.5 cm artillery. Three people died in the sinking. U 505 sent medical help to the survivors .
- The only 110-ton schooner Roamar was near the island of San Andrés with 22 shot of naval artillery on July 22 at the position 12 ° 24 ' N , 81 ° 28' W sunk. Loewe tried to stop the initially unknown ship with several warning shots. This tried to flee, probably because one of the "warning shots" had destroyed the schooner's main mast. Only now did the ship show its Colombian national flag. At this point in time, Colombia was not yet at war with Germany. Had the Roamar flagged earlier, the attack would not have taken place. All 23 Colombian ship members, including four women, were killed.
On July 31, the patrol was broken off because Loewe was increasingly suffering from appendicitis. On the march back, U 505 took over fuel from the “ dairy cow ” U 463 . On August 20, it happened to U 214 , to whom the on-board tea supply was handed over. Loewe was the only one on U 505 who drank tea.
After 79 days at sea, the boat moored again in Lorient on August 25th. This time it had covered 13,340 nm (12,842 over water). This was followed by a stay in the shipyard until October 3rd. In the meantime the commander changed to U 505 on September 15th. Loewe handed over the command to Oblt. ZS Peter Zschech. Loewe, who enjoyed high recognition and authority among his team due to his non-authoritarian leadership style, switched to the staff of the FdU West to deal with the logistics of arming the Atlantic submarines.
Fourth patrol
Under Zschech, the boat's tower coat of arms was changed by replacing the lion with the Olympic rings ( coat of arms of the crew in 1936 ). The battle ax remained. The area of operation for this voyage, which lasted from October 4 to December 12, 1942, was again to be the Caribbean.
The first differences of opinion arose between the commander and the crew as soon as they left the port. The trigger was an old nautical superstition. After that, flowers had to be removed from the ship before the mainland was out of sight, otherwise the ship would have a disaster. The second officer on watch had ordered the removal of the flower garlands attached to the port when Zschech indignantly ordered that this should not be done. He brusquely rejected attempts by the officer to explain.
- On November 1st, the boat reached the area east of Trinidad. Six days later, the British freighter Ocean Justice (7173 BRT) (four victories) in position with two torpedo hits 10 ° 6 ' N , 60 ° 0' W sunk. The ship was loaded with manganese ore and was on its way from Karachi, Durban and Trinidad to New York.
It was Zschech's only success. The following day brought an unsuccessful attack (two missed torpedo shots) on an unknown freighter.
On November 10th, problems occurred with the radio monitoring device (FuMB). Despite this handicap, U 505 turned up. At 3:14 p.m., southeast of Trinidad, the boat was caught by a British Lockheed Hudson anti -submarine bomber (command: Flight Sergeant Ronald Sillcock). He dropped four depth charges, one of which hit the boat next to the 3.7 cm deck gun. The aft deck was completely devastated and several leaks occurred in the pressure hull, in the port diving bunkers and in some fuel bunkers. Both diesel engines failed. Two crew members were seriously injured on the bridge. The British plane was also destroyed by the detonation pressure from this bomb, killing all five planes. Below deck, after the explosions, Zschech ran pale into the headquarters and yelled at the crew to prepare to disembark. An angry machine mate rushed into the headquarters and shouted that anyone who wanted could get out. However, he and the technicians would stay on board and keep U 505 buoyant. This spoke volumes about the crew's lack of respect for their commanding officer.
U 505 was unable to dive or maneuver, but remained undisturbed for the rest of the day. It would have been defenseless against any further air attack since the anti-aircraft guns were unusable. After hours of repairs, the starboard diesel engine was operational again. U 505 was slowly moving towards home. After four days, diving ability was restored to a depth of 30 m. The crew's relief at the narrow escape faded immediately when Zschech announced that they wanted to keep an eye out for ships in front of Port of Spain in Trinidad despite the severe damage . He only rejected this bizarre plan when radio messages from Lorient asked him to meet with U 154 to take over morphine. 14 days later they met with the utilities U 462 and U 68 . The seriously injured II. WO was brought to U 462 for life-saving medical treatment, as the U-tankers had an on-board doctor. After replenishing the lost fuel and taking over spare parts, the U 505 continued the journey home. A sighted merchant ship was pursued in vain. Another ship was attacked shortly before the Bay of Biscay. The torpedo that was shot down turned into a circle . It hit its own boat at an oblique angle, but did not detonate. U 505 finally reached Lorient on December 12th . It covered 10,876 nm on this voyage, of which only 626 nm were under water.
The boat was in the shipyard for the next six months. During this time, a second platform with additional anti-aircraft guns was installed below the winter garden . At the same time, the 10.5 cm gun was removed, as surface attacks with artillery had become almost impossible in 1943 due to the Allied air superiority.
Fifth patrol
This trip had to be canceled several times. On July 1, 1943, U 505 left the port , but had to return to Lorient because of an oil leak discovered during test diving. It ran out again on July 3. Problems arose with the listening and tracking systems. After a depth charge on the boat on July 8th, another oil leak forced it to turn back again. Another attempt to escape on August 1st revealed loud cracking noises while diving. The next attempt on August 14th was thwarted by a crack in the air inlet duct. The August 21 leak revealed another oil leak after sabotage had drilled a small hole in an outside fuel cell bunker. On September 18, on the next attempt, the starboard exhaust valve was not found to be watertight. On September 23, a failure of the main ballast pump and the starboard electric motor forced a turnaround. Between July 1 and September 30, the boat covered 3293 nm (644 nm under water). These shortcomings were often due to sabotage by French shipyard workers. The situation increasingly drained the nerves of the crew and especially those of Commander Zschech, who had been promoted to lieutenant captain in April 1943.
Sixth patrol
After a one-week stay in the shipyard to repair the main ballast pump and to install the new Naxos radio measuring device , U 505 ran out again on October 9, 1943. This time there didn't seem to be any problems. Since leaving Lorient, however, Zschech has behaved conspicuously. He was rarely in the headquarters, but mostly stayed in his room. This was unusual for a submarine commander.
On the evening of October 24, 1943, U 505 came across a group of destroyers near the Azores at around 8:00 p.m. and was attacked with depth charges. Zschech came out of his room. Instead of leading the boat at headquarters, he climbed into the tower to the small commanders' booth with the periscopes under the confused eyes of the crew . However, the boat went far too deep to be able to use the periscope and no orders had been issued to go to periscope depth. The first officer on watch, Oberleutnant zur See Paul Meyer, asked for instructions, as the destroyer propellers in the boat could already be clearly heard when depth charges fell. After the detonations the lights went out, glass shattered and the men were thrown to the ground. However, the boat was not yet seriously damaged. After this first wave of attacks, Zschech climbed slowly and without a word from the tower to the control center and went back to his cabin. At the second attack he reappeared in the midst of the chaos and crouched in the passage to the headquarters. During another water bomb volley, a crew member noticed that the commander was slowly tipping over. After the lights came back on, everyone saw the blood. Zschech shot himself in the head. The crack of the gunshot had been drowned out by the noise of the water bomb detonations.
The first officer on watch, Meyer, took command and ordered the march back. Kptlt. Peter Zschech was buried at sea the next morning without a ceremony. Nobody on board U 505 mourned. In their opinion, Zschech had given up on the team when they needed him most. On November 7th, U 505 was back in Lorient. The boat had covered a total of 2211 nm on this trip, of which 1254 nm over water.
Seventh patrol
On November 18, 1943, Oblt.zS Harald Lange officially took command of U 505 . But he shouldn't have any more luck either. He changed the tower coat of arms into a large shell.
On December 20, 1943, after the first test dive, the leak had to be canceled because of a sabotaged leaky flange around a listening device cable. After a five-day stay in the shipyard, U 505 left again on Christmas Day 1943. For a long time he enjoyed the respect of the crew, as he himself, for example, determined the ship's location with the sextant instead of delegating this task as usual. On December 28, 1943 there was a battle between German destroyers and torpedo boats with Allied forces in the Bay of Biscay . U 505 was supposed to search for survivors of two sunk German torpedo boats. With 34 rescued sailors, the boat reached the port of Brest on January 2, 1944 . On entering the starboard e-machine caused a short circuit in a fire, which was quickly extinguished. During the subsequent docking, the shaft and fin of the starboard depth rudder were accidentally damaged. During this short voyage, 865 nm were covered, 214 of which were under water. The necessary stay in the shipyard for repairs and new equipment lasted until March 16. After that, fuel and ammunition, such as the acoustic torpedo T5 " Wren " , were taken on board .
Eighth and last patrol
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U 505 could not sail again until March 16, 1944 . The boat operated unsuccessfully for three months off the coast of West Africa. At the end of May it began its march back to Lorient. On June 4, it was one of Captain Daniel Vincent Gallery commanded U-Hunting Association, consisting of the escort carrier USS Guadalcanal and four destroyers - including the USS Pillsbury - located and the escort destroyer Chatelain with grenades fired. When Lange let go to periscope depth for orientation, planes of the Guadalcanal sighted the shadow of the boat and marked the spot with tracer ammunition. When the Chatelain threw depth charges, water leaks in the engine room and in the control room. U 505 had to appear badly damaged and was immediately taken under fire. It leaned dangerously to port. In the engine room as well as in the aft torpedo room there had been further violent ingress of water. In the latter, the water is said to have been about a meter high. The commander ordered the boat to be sunk and abandoned. Immediately thereafter, Lange was seriously wounded and temporarily lost consciousness. Because the I. WO was also wounded, the sinking of the boat could not be successfully monitored. The crew jumped overboard. A radio operator was killed by the fire. All the other men could be saved. Contrary to the orders and orders given to him, Gallery had set it in his head to capture a submarine. Therefore, he only had U 505 fired at with light weapons in order to drive the crew off board.
A boarding party led by Lieutenant Junior Grade Albert L. David , USN, of whom only one sailor had previously been on a submarine, was able to board the boat shortly before sinking. David gave the order that only he himself could open valves or bulkheads. He wanted to prevent explosives from injuring his team. An attempt was made to tow the boat to the nearest safe harbor. This was thousands of nautical miles away. After a short time only the tower protruded from the water. It seemed as if the plan was going to fail.
The leader of the boarding party was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic deed . After all, it was the US Navy’s first captured enemy ship since 1815. After the war, a warship was named after it, the USS Albert David .
Overpass
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Initially, it was planned to bring U 505 to the nearest US base in Casablanca. However, the fleet command had concerns about the secrecy and ordered the fleet association to Bermuda. First, however, the USS Humboldt (AVP-21) with Commander Rucker was set off from Casablanca to get an experienced submarine commander for U 505 . On June 7th, the deep-sea tug USS Abnaki (ATF-96) arrived and took over the tow rope from the USS Guadalcanal . Until then, the submarine had been buoyant from the current. It threatened to go under during the handover maneuver. The USS Abnaki therefore shortened the tow to the submarine and towed it as quickly as possible to give it buoyancy again. There were bilge pumps on U 505 brought and laid power lines. About 40 tons of water could be pumped out of the headquarters. In order to prevent the stern from sagging further, the Guadalcanal drove directly behind the submarine (about 10 m), a strong rope was deployed around the stern of the U 505 and pulled up using the anchor winches of the aircraft carrier. This was only necessary for a short time, as the prize squad had explored the submarine's systems during the day. They disengaged the ship's diesel engine, engaged the electric motor and used it as a generator at a speed of around nine knots. This allowed the batteries to be charged overnight and the following day the submarine's electrical system was clear enough that the ventilation and bilge pumps worked and the compressors could be used to blow the diving tanks.
Since they were still in the hunting area of German submarines and expected an attack at any time, reconnaissance flights were carried out constantly. It was a bit critical for the carrier pilots because the USS Guadalcanal with U 505 in tow was moving more slowly than was actually necessary for take-off from deck. No more than 15 knots of wind were reached on the start deck.
After the tug Abnaki had taken over, the Guadalcanal was able to take over new fuel from the tanker Kennebec . Now finally the secret documents from the boat could also be secured, such as the identification group book , double-letter exchange tables and identification group booklet , as well as a copy of the Enigma machine with four rollers as well as many private items of the crew. A total of ten mail bags were filled and handed over to the Jenks . This drove ahead of the association with all its might and brought the valuable booty to Bermuda. From there it was flown by Naval Air Transport to Washington for evaluation. On June 19, 1944, the association then arrived in Bermuda and handed U 505 to the commander of the Bermuda naval base.
Whereabouts and current condition
The boat has been on display in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago since 1954 . The exhibition of the boat, which was supposed to end as a training target for the Navy, was made possible by the brother Gallerys. He was a priest and wanted to keep the boat intact as a souvenir of the deceased submariners and sailors of the war.
On June 29, 1989 U 505 received the status of a National Historic Landmark and was entered on the National Register of Historic Places . In 2005 it was completely restored and transferred to a specially built exhibition complex. The cost of this was $ 35 million. The boat can be viewed from the outside and inside. Only the front and rear torpedo rooms can only be viewed from the outside because the original flooring has been preserved there, which is not safe to walk on. Mattresses and felt blankets, fittings, fittings and inventory are completely in their original condition. Noises and vibrations make the daily tours come alive.
Trivia
A fictional submarine called U 505 plays in global bestseller and award-winning novel The needle of Ken Follett a key role. U 505 is supposed to bring back to Germany a German spy in Great Britain who has crucial information about the planned landings of the Allies on the European mainland.
literature
- Hans Göbeler, John Vanzo: In a steel jacket. As a submarine driver aboard U 505. (= Ullstein 26999 Maritim ) Ullstein, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-548-26999-3 (Title of the original American edition: Steel Boat Iron Hearts. A U-boat Crewman's Life Aboard U-505. ).
- Hans Herlin : Damn Atlantic. Neuer Kaiser Verlag, Klagenfurt 2000, ISBN 3-7043-5028-1 .
- Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Maling's German submarines 1939–1945. 4th edition. Koehler, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7822-0826-9 .
- Theodore P. Savas (Ed.): The hunt for U 505 and the submarine war in the Atlantic. (= Ullstein 26298 Maritim ) Ullstein, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-548-26298-7 .
Web links
- Photos taken by the prize squad
- Detailed US report on the capture of U 505 ( memento from December 12, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
- Report from Captain Daniel V. Gallery, USN
- J. David Rogers: CAPTURE OF THE U-505
- Extensive collection of photocopies of the documents and diaries captured in U 505 ( memento from April 18, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- U 505 in the museum in Chicago (Engl.)
- U 505 at uboat.net (engl.)
Remarks
- ↑ The slump in the "key power Triton" (engl./amerik .: Shark ), marine radio key for the Enigma, the Allies, however, was already succeeded in late 1942 after U 559 in the Mediterranean by the British destroyer on 30 October 1942 petard been applied and code books and the Enigma could be saved shortly before the boat sank. Furthermore, an acoustically controlled German torpedo was captured for the first time, which the American armed forces used as a template to accelerate the war for their own torpedo developments.
Individual evidence
- ↑ apply
- ↑ Naval History & Heritage Command: U-505 Sinking. Capture of U-505 on June 4, 1944. In: Frequently Asked Questions. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY - NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER, October 20, 2005, accessed July 19, 2012 .
- ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Illinois. National Park Service , accessed July 22, 2019.
- ^ U-505 (IX C U-Boat) in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed August 12, 2017.
- ↑ Former Zentralemaat on U 505.
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