80-579: 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
160-494: A dam was constructed in 1967, stopping the flow. The city is 503 kilometres (313 mi) south-west of Paris , 153 kilometres (95 mi) south-west of Rennes and 158 kilometres (98 mi) north-west of Nantes . The city comprises different neighbourhoods: Adjacent towns: Under the Köppen climate classification , Lorient experiences an oceanic climate (Cfb), with mild winters and cool to warm summers. Precipitation
240-534: A war memorial to all the sailors who died in the first and second Atlantic campaigns. Nearly every removable part had been stripped from the boat's interior by the time it went to the museum; it was in no condition to serve as an exhibit, so museum director Lohr asked for replacements from the German manufacturers who had supplied the boat's original components and parts. Admiral Gallery reports in his autobiography Eight Bells and All's Well that every company supplied
320-500: A commanding officer killed himself in combat conditions. 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
400-459: A convoy and strike night after night. Some of the IXC boats were fitted for mine operations; as mine-layers they could carry 44 TMA or 60 TMB mines . Secondary armament was provided by one 10.5 cm (4.1 in) deck gun with 180 rounds. Anti-aircraft armament differed throughout the war. They had two periscopes in the tower. Types IXA and IXB had an additional periscope in the control room, which
480-518: A local TV channel covering Morbihan through DTT . Catholic churches are among the main religious landmarks of Lorient. While the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption was built in 1850 in a revivalist neo-Gothic style, the church of Saint Joan of Arc was built in a neo-Roman style in the 1930s by French architect Jean Desbois and a few years later in 1955, and the modernist church of Notre-Dame-de-Victoire
560-617: A submarine, and the acquisition of U-505 seemed ideal. The US government donated the submarine to the museum in September 1954, and Chicago residents raised $ 250,000 for transporting and installing the boat. Coast Guard tugboats and cutters towed the boat through the Great Lakes , making a stop in Detroit , Michigan , in July 1954. The museum dedicated her on 25 September 1954 as a permanent exhibit and
640-453: A towline from the aircraft carrier to the U-boat. Guadalcanal ' s chief engineer Commander Earl Trosino joined the salvage party. He disconnected the submarine's diesel engines from her electric driving motors, while leaving the latter clutched to the propeller shafts. With the U-boat moving under tow by Guadalcanal , the propellers spun as they passed through the water, turning the shafts and
720-615: Is a town ( commune ) and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France . Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presence of megalithic architecture . Ruins of Roman roads (linking Vannes to Quimper and Port-Louis to Carhaix ) confirm Gallo-Roman presence. In 1664, Jean-Baptiste Colbert founded the French East Indies Company . In June 1666, an ordinance of Louis XIV granted lands of Port-Louis to
800-698: Is also a substantial industrial base in Keroman to support the fishing fleet. Lorient South Brittany Airport is situated just west of the city at Lann Bihoue. It operates charter flights and regular flights to Toulouse. It used to operate direct flights to Paris and Lyon all year long and other city such as London and Porto in the Summer. The Gare de Lorient is the railway station, offering connections to Quimper, Nantes, Rennes, Paris (less than three hours by TGV) and several regional destinations. Schools in Lorient belong to
880-469: Is evenly distributed throughout the year. Frost is rare in winter, as are days over 30 °C (86 °F) during summer. In 2017, Lorient had a population of 57,149. In 2017, its intercommunality Lorient Agglomération had 203,309 inhabitants. Lorient is the most populous commune in Morbihan département , although the préfecture is the slightly smaller commune of Vannes . Inhabitants of Lorient are called Lorientais . The population data in
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#1732854643515960-451: Is surfacing!" Less than seven minutes after Chatelain ' s first attack began, the badly damaged submarine surfaced less than 600 m (700 yd) away. Chatelain immediately opened fire on it with all available weapons, joined by other ships of the task force and the two Wildcats. Lange believed U-505 to be seriously damaged and ordered his crew to abandon ship. They obeyed the order promptly, but they did not successfully scuttle
1040-594: Is the highest point of Lorient with its 4-meter-high concrete bell tower though the population never really accepted this new style. Major Catholic festivals such as Christmas, Carnaval, Easter and the Pardon are celebrated as major feasts of the city. The most popular club in Lorient is FC Lorient , which currently play in Ligue 1 , after winning Ligue 2 in 2020. They are nicknamed les Merlus . They play their home fixtures at Stade du Moustoir . Christian Gourcuff has managed
1120-467: The Gloire class , though unlike her wooden-hull predecessors, she was entirely made of iron. She was followed in 1876 by the ironclad Redoutable , the first ship in the world with a steel structure. In 1889, fishing expanded following the creation of the municipal fish market, and the arrival of steam-powered fishing trawlers in 1900. The Keroman fishing port construction started in 1920. In 1941,
1200-563: The Azores on 24 October 1943, not long after crossing the Bay of Biscay , and she was forced to submerge and endure a severe depth-charge attack. Zschech committed suicide in the submarine's control room, shooting himself in the head in front of his crew. First-watch officer Paul Meyer took command and returned the boat to port with minimal damage. Meyer was "absolved from all blame" by the Kriegsmarine for
1280-555: The Festival interceltique , bringing together artists from all the Celtic world ( Brittany , Cornwall , Scotland , Ireland , Wales , Galicia , Asturias , Australia , Acadia and Isle of Man ). Each year, a Celtic nation is chosen as honored guest. It is one of the biggest festivals in Europe by attendance (800,000 people for the 40th edition ) Lorient is home to TébéSud (formerly TyTélé),
1360-449: The French East Indies Company scrapped its base in Le Havre since it was too exposed during wartime, and transferred its infrastructures to l'Enclot, out of which Lorient grew. The company then erected a chapel, workshops, forges, and offices, leaving Port-Louis permanently. The city's name is derived from Le Soleil d'Orient , the first ship constructed at the site, in 1669. Workers gave
1440-578: The Germans , then occupying France , chose to establish a U-boat base at Lorient. The submarine facilities quickly became targets of constant bombing from Allied air forces. The Germans decided to build a complex of bomb-proof submarine pens , their largest U-boat base , which would house the 2nd and the 10th U-boat flotillas for the bulk of the Battle of the Atlantic . Karl Dönitz , then supreme commander of
1520-543: The Gulf of Mexico , U-166 , was a Type IXC. U-505 survives at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago , and was completely renovated after being moved in 2004 to a purpose-built indoor berth. DeSchiMAG AG Weser and Seebeckwerft of Bremen, and Deutsche Werft of Hamburg built 54 Type IXC submarines. Only four survived the war, one of which is preserved in the US. Type IXC/40
1600-687: The Legion of Honour and the Croix de guerre 1939–1945 . In April 1945, the Reconstruction Ministry advocated the use of temporary wooden shacks. These shelters were shipped as a kit to be built on site. In 1948, there were 28 settlements under the city's authority, and 20 more in the urban area , distributed among the neighboring towns of Ploemeur , Lanester , Hennebont and Quéven . Each of these neighbourhoods could hold up to 280 houses. This temporary housing would stand from 10 to 40 years depending on
1680-518: The United States , and in 1785, a new commercial company started under Calonne 's tutelage (then Controller-General of Finances ) with the same goal as the previous entities, i.e. conducting trade in India and China , with again Lorient standing as its operative base. The French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic wars put an end to trade for nearly two decades. Maritime activities slowed at
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#17328546435151760-560: The subsequent breakout , Lorient was surrounded by Allied troops on 12 August 1944. Its usefulness as a naval base gone, Lorient was left in a state of siege, surrounded by the French Forces of the West , supported by a US Infantry Division. On 10 May 1945, the German garrison surrendered, two days after the official final unconditional surrender of Germany . In 1949, the city of Lorient was awarded
1840-685: The Academy of Rennes . Active units based near Lorient: Lorient was the location of an extensive submarine base , built by the Germans in World War II and used subsequently by the French Navy . Head of the U-Boat Arm Karl Dönitz decided to construct the base on 28 June 1940. Between November 1940 and January 1942 a number of gigantic reinforced concrete structures were built. including three on
1920-603: The American ships Sea Thrush and Thomas McKean and the Colombian Urious in the Caribbean Sea . Urious was a sailing ship belonging to a Colombian diplomat, and its sinking was one of a long series of incidents that gave Colombia political grounds to declare war on Germany a year later. U-505 then returned to Lorient on 25 August after 80 days on patrol without being attacked. U-505 ' s fourth patrol sent her to
2000-571: The Bay of Biscay. U-505 took part in Wolfpack Hela from 28 December 1943 until 1 January 1944. The Allies had learned from decrypted German messages that U-boats were operating near Cape Verde , but not their exact locations. The US Navy dispatched Task Group 22.3 to the area, a hunter-killer group commanded by Captain Daniel V. Gallery . TG 22.3 consisted of the escort aircraft carrier Guadalcanal and
2080-596: The Company in 1720, the city was still growing as it took part in the Atlantic triangular slave trade . From 1720 to 1790, 156 ships deported an estimated 43,000 slaves. In 1732, the Company decided to transfer its sales headquarters from Nantes to Lorient, and asked architect Jacques Gabriel to raise new buildings out of dimension stones to host these new activities, and to embellish the L'Enclos domain. Sales began in 1734, peaking up to 25 million livres tournois . In 1769,
2160-446: The Company's monopoly ended with the scrapping of the company itself, under the influence of the physiocrats . Until the Company's closure, the city took advantage of its prosperity. In 1738, there were 14,000 inhabitants, or 20,000 considering the outlying villages of Kerentrech, Merville, La Perrière, Calvin, and Keryado, which are now neighbourhoods within the present-day city limits. In 1735, new streets were laid out and in 1738, it
2240-478: The Enemy . Hans Goebeler recounts the story of the boat's patrols and her crew in his 2005 memoir Steel Boats, Iron Hearts: A U-Boat Crewman's Life Aboard U-505 . Type IXC submarine The Type IX U-boat was designed by Nazi Germany 's Kriegsmarine in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off
2320-469: The IXD1, IXD2 and IXD/42. The IXD1 had unreliable engines and they were later converted for use in surface transport vessels. The IXD2 comprised most of the class and had a range of 23,700 nautical miles (43,900 km; 27,300 mi). The IXD/42, was almost identical but with more engine power (5,400 hp (4,000 kW; 5,500 PS) instead of 4,400 hp (3,300 kW; 4,500 PS)). In 1943 and 1944
2400-665: The Keroman peninsula. They are called K1, K2 and K3. In 1944 work began on a fourth structure. The base was capable of sheltering thirty submarines. Lorient was damaged by Allied bombing raids but the naval base survived the war. Following the German surrender the base was used by the French Navy, named for Jacques Stosskopf , a hero of the French Resistance who had worked there. The base was decommissioned in 1995 and turned over to civilian use. Each year in August since 1970, Lorient hosts
2480-571: The Museum refurbished the submarine, restoring her to be closer to her original condition. Also, a special exhibit with many additional artifacts from the submarine was opened in the general-admission section of the museum. Captain Gallery recounted the capture of U-505 in his 1951 memoir Clear the Decks . Gary Moore recounts a dramatized story of the captured crew in his 2006 historical fiction book Playing with
German submarine U-505 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-606: The U-boat Arm , moved his staff into the Kernevel villa, just across the water from Keroman, in Larmor-Plage . In 1943–1944, Lorient was nearly razed to the ground by Allied bombing , which failed to destroy the submarine pens despite 4,000 tons of bombs dropped. According to the book Steel Boats, Iron Hearts (by former U-505 crewman Hans Goebeler ), after the Allies failed to damage
2640-524: The U-boat bunkers the bombing shifted to the city itself to deny the Germans workers and other resources. Before the bombings, thousands of leaflets were dropped on the population instructing the inhabitants to evacuate. Between 14 January 1943 and 17 February 1943, as many as 500 high-explosive aerial bombs and more than 60,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on Lorient. After the Normandy landings in June 1944 and
2720-406: The U-boat, so it fired Hedgehog antisubmarine mortars before passing the submarine and turning to make a follow-up attack with depth charges. One of the aircraft sighted U-505 and fired into the water to mark the position while Chatelain dropped depth charges. Immediately after the detonation of the charges, a large oil slick spread on the water and the fighter pilot radioed: "You struck oil! Sub
2800-401: The abandoned U-505 . Captain Gallery was keen to capture a U-boat and had encouraged his captains to plan for such an eventuality. Chatelain and Jenks collected survivors, while an eight-man party from Pillsbury led by Lt. Albert David came alongside the submarine in a boat and entered through the conning tower. They found the body of Signalman First Class Gottfried Fischer on the deck,
2880-486: The attack in the US waters in early 1942 known as Operation Drumbeat , U-156 , which was bombed by a US aircraft while flying a Red Cross -flag and rescuing survivors of a torpedoed ship ( Laconia incident ), and U-107 operating off Freetown, Sierra Leone under the command of Günter Hessler , which had the most successful single mission of the war ever with close to 100,000 GRT sunk. DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen built 14 Type IXB U-boats. Thirteen were sunk in
2960-405: The boat; they opened some valves, but left the engines running. The rudder had been damaged by depth charges, so the submarine circled clockwise at roughly 7 kn (13 km/h; 8.1 mph). The commanding officer of Chatelain saw the submarine turning toward his ship and thought that it was about to attack, so he ordered a single torpedo to be fired at her; the torpedo missed, passing ahead of
3040-550: The butt of jokes throughout the base at Lorient. Upon returning from one botched patrol, her crew found a sign painted in the docking area reading: " U-505 ' s Hunting Ground". At a time when many U-boats were being sunk, U-505 ' s commander, Kptlt. Zschech, overheard another U-boat commander joke, "There is one commander who will always come back ... Zschech." After ten months in Lorient, U-505 departed for her tenth Atlantic patrol, seeking to break her run of bad luck and bad morale. British destroyers spotted her east of
3120-449: 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 . German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than
3200-428: The coast of Río de Oro , only 800 yards (700 m) from Chatelain ' s starboard bow. The escorts immediately moved towards the contact, while Guadalcanal moved away at top speed and launched a Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter to join another Wildcat and a Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, which were already airborne. Chatelain was so close to U-505 that depth charges would not sink fast enough to intercept
3280-557: The company, along with Faouédic on the other side of the roadstead . One of its directors, Denis Langlois, bought lands at the confluence of the Scorff and the Blavet rivers, and built slipways . At first, it only served as a subsidiary of Port-Louis, where offices and warehouses were located. The following years, the operation was almost abandoned, but in 1675, during the Franco-Dutch War ,
German submarine U-505 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-447: The course of the war. The Type IXC was a further refinement of the class with storage for an additional 43 tonnes of fuel, increasing the boat's range. This series omitted the control room periscope leaving the boats with two tower scopes. As mine-layers they could carry 44 TMA or 66 TMB mines, though the 35 boats of U-162 through U-170 and U-505 through U-550 were not fitted for mine operations. The only U-boat sunk in
3440-399: The deck from just above water level. The explosion killed one watch officer and wounded another in the conning tower. She also tore the antiaircraft gun off its mounting and severely damaged the boat's pressure hull. The aircraft was hit by fragmentation from the bomb's explosion and crashed into the ocean near U-505 , killing RAAF pilot Flight Sergeant Ronald Sillcock and his entire crew. With
3520-580: The demise of the Company, the city lost one-seventh of its population. In 1769, the city evolved into a full-scale naval base for the Royal Navy when the King bought out the Company's infrastructures for 17,500,000 livres tournois . From 1775 on, the American Revolutionary War brought a surge in activity, as many privateers hailed from Lorient. When the war ended, transatlantic lines opened to
3600-598: The destroyer escorts Pillsbury , Pope , Flaherty , Chatelain , and Jenks under Commander Frederick S. Hall. The group sailed from Norfolk, Virginia , on 15 May 1944 and began searching for U-boats in the area in late May, using high-frequency direction-finding fixes ("huff-duff") and air and surface reconnaissance. At 11:09 on 4 June 1944, TG 22.3 made sonar ( ASDIC ) contact with U-505 at 21°30′N 19°20′W / 21.500°N 19.333°W / 21.500; -19.333 ( U-505 action ) , about 150 nmi (280 km; 170 mi) off
3680-652: The domain to move to the Faouédic heath. In 1702, there were about 6,000 inhabitants in Lorient, though activities slowed, and the town began to decline. The town experienced a period of growth when John Law formed the Perpetual Company of the Indies by absorbing other chartered companies (including the French East India Company ), and chose Lorient as its operations base. Despite the economic bubble caused by
3760-457: The driving motors. This caused the motors to act as electrical generators charging the batteries. With power from the batteries, U-505 ' s pumps cleared out the water let in by the attempted scuttling, and her air compressors blew out the ballast tanks, bringing her up to full surface trim. Despite the capture taking place close to Allied-controlled French Morocco, Casablanca was known to be infiltrated by German spies, thus another safe port
3840-516: The eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for Europe. It was derived from the Type IA , and appeared in various sub-types. Type IXs had six torpedo tubes ; four at the bow and two at the stern. They carried six reloads internally and had five external torpedo containers (three at the stern and two at the bow) which stored ten additional torpedoes. The total of 22 torpedoes allowed U-boat commanders to follow
3920-747: The first two to follow David into the submarine, and they received the Navy Cross . Seaman First Class Earnest James Beaver received the Silver Star and Commander Trosino received the Legion of Merit . Captain Gallery conceived and executed the operation, and he received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal . The Task Group was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation . Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll , Commander in Chief, US Atlantic Fleet, cited
4000-409: The illusion that she had been sunk rather than captured, it was painted to look like a US submarine and renamed USS Nemo . At the end of the war in Europe, it was used to promote E War Bond sales as part of the "Mighty 7th" War Loan drive. Anyone who purchased a bond could also purchase a ticket to board and inspect her. In June 1945, it visited New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Captain Gallery
4080-464: The incident. Zschech is recorded as the only known submariner during the war to commit suicide underwater in response to the stress of a prolonged depth charging. The boat was placed under the command of Oblt.z.S. Harald Lange. U-505 ' s 11th patrol began on Christmas Day 1943. She again returned early to Lorient on 2 January 1944, after she rescued 33 crew members from the German torpedo boat T25 , sunk on 28 December by British cruisers in
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#17328546435154160-470: The location. The last shack in the largest settlement, Soye, was torn down in 1991. Today, only a few buildings dating to the 18th century still stand. Lorient is located on the south coast of Brittany , where the rivers Scorff and Blavet join to form the roadstead of Lorient , before discharging into the Atlantic Ocean . The river Ter used to flow into the estuary to the south of the city, however,
4240-458: The northern coast of South America. She left Lorient on 4 October, 1942 and sank the British vessel Ocean Justice off the coast of Venezuela on 7 November. On 10 November near Trinidad , U-505 was surprised on the surface by a Lockheed Hudson maritime patrol aircraft from No. 53 Squadron , Royal Air Force , which made a low-level attack, landing a 250 lb (110 kg) bomb directly on
4320-537: The only fatality of the combat, and U-505 was deserted. They secured charts and codebooks, closed scuttling valves, disarmed demolition charges, and stopped her engines. The vessel was low in the water and down by the stern. U-boat researcher Derek Waller has written that a German crewman, Ewald Felix, helped foil the scuttling attempt. Pillsbury attempted to take the submarine in tow, but repeatedly collided with her and had to move away with three compartments flooded. A second boarding party from Guadalcanal then rigged
4400-459: The original Type IXBs . U-505 had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) when at the surface and 1,232 tonnes (1,213 long tons) while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draft of 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine
4480-667: The pumps inoperative and water flooding the engine room in several places, Kptlt. Zschech ordered the crew to abandon ship, but the technical staff (led by Chief Petty Officer Otto Fricke) insisted on trying to save her. The vessel was made water-tight after almost two weeks of repair work. After sending the wounded watch officer to the supply submarine ("milk cow") U-462 , U-505 limped back to Lorient on reduced power. After six months in Lorient for repairs, U-505 started her fifth patrol. She left Lorient on 1 July 1943 and returned after 13 days, after an attack by three British destroyers that had stalked her for over 30 hours. While U-505
4560-521: The requested parts without charge. Most included letters to the effect that the manufacturers wanted her to be a credit to German technology. A reunion was held at the museum in 1964, 20 years after the ship's capture, where Gallery returned to Lange some binoculars from the ship that had belonged to him. The Navy had removed the periscope and placed it in a water tank used for research at its Arctic Submarine Laboratory in Point Loma, California , where it
4640-399: The sector represented 9,600 direct jobs for a total 12,000 jobs (with indirect jobs accounted for), or 12% of local employment. From its founding, shipbuilding has always been of great importance to the city. DCNS continues the legacy of the formerly state-owned shipyards (colloquially known as l'Arsenal ) that began operation in 1690. It still builds warships, mainly frigates . There
4720-419: The shipyards. A sardine cannery opened the same year. The first gasworks was built in 1845. In the second half of the 19th century, the steam engine allowed the ports to strengthen their output. The first locomotive reached the city in 1865. In 1861, the original drydock was enlarged as a second one was dug out. The same year, the ironclad Couronne was built on a design directly inspired by
4800-426: The site the name of the ship, which, by contraction, became simply L'Orient and finally Lorient . The French Royal Navy opened a base there in 1690, under the command of Colbert de Seignelay , who inherited his father 's position as Secretary of State of the Navy . At the same time, privateers from Saint-Malo took shelter there. In 1700, the town grew out of l'Enclot following a law forcing people to leave
4880-456: The standard practice was to sink U-boats outright rather than trying to board and capture them, for this reason. However, "cooler heads prevailed". LTJG Albert David received the Medal of Honor for leading the boarding party, the only time that it was awarded to an Atlantic Fleet sailor in World War II. Torpedoman's Mate Third Class Arthur W. Knispel and Radioman Second Class Stanley E. Wdowiak were
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#17328546435154960-468: The start of the 19th century. Activity at the shipyards and naval base reached a low that would last until the July Monarchy . During this period, the city was more of an administrative center. The first secondary school opened in 1822, a lazaretto in 1823, and barracks in 1839. The city began to modernize in the second quarter of the century; in 1825, a roofed slipway and a drydock were added to
5040-512: The table and graph below refer to the commune of Lorient proper, in its geography at the given years. The commune of Lorient absorbed the former commune of Keryado in 1947. The municipality launched a linguistic plan through Ya d'ar brezhoneg on 25 January 2007. In 2008, 2.71% of the children attended the bilingual schools in primary education. Lorient is commonly referred to as La ville aux cinq ports ("the city of five ports"): military, fishing, commercial, passengers and yachting. In 2010,
5120-576: The task group for "outstanding performance during antisubmarine operations in the eastern Atlantic" and stated that it was "a feat unprecedented in individual and group bravery, execution, and accomplishment in the naval history of the United States". The US Navy kept U-505 at the US Naval Operating Base in Bermuda, and Navy intelligence officers and engineers studied her intensively. To maintain
5200-518: The torpedo tubes were removed from a number of IXD boats converted for transport use. In their new role they could transport 252 tonnes of cargo. The range was extended to 31,500 nautical miles (58,300 km; 36,200 mi). DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen built 30 Type IXD U-boats. Several Type IXD/42 U-boats were contracted to be built by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen, but only two were commissioned. They were: Lorient Lorient ( French: [lɔʁjɑ̃] ; Breton : An Oriant )
5280-590: Was an improved Type IXC with slightly increased range and surfaced speed. The remains of U-534 are on display at Woodside Ferry Terminal, Birkenhead . DeSchiMAG AG Weser and Seebeckwerft of Bremen, and Deutsche Werft of Hamburg, built 87 of this type. Type IXD was significantly longer and heavier than the IXC/40. It was faster than the IXC but at the cost of slightly reduced maneuverability. It had three pairs of Daimler Benz diesels: two pairs for cruise and one for high speed or battery recharge. There were three variants:
5360-483: Was assigned as an operational boat to the 2nd U-boat Flotilla on 1 February 1942, following training exercises with the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 26 August 1941 to 31 January 1942. She began her first patrol from Kiel on 19 January, while still formally undergoing training. For sixteen days, she circumnavigated the British Isles and docked at Lorient in occupied France on 3 February. She engaged no enemy vessels and
5440-496: Was capable of operating at depths down to 230 m (750 ft). The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 kn (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph). When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, it could travel 13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-505
5520-498: Was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes , one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun , 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 , as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 antiaircraft gun. The boat had a complement of 48. U-505 ' s keel was laid down on 12 June 1940 by Deutsche Werft in Hamburg, Germany, as yard number 295. She
5600-504: Was forgotten. It was salvaged before the lab was demolished in 2003, and the Navy donated it to the museum to be displayed along with the submarine. By 2004, the U-boat's exterior had suffered noticeable damage from the weather, so the museum moved her to a new climate-controlled location (under ground next to the MSI) in April 2004. They restored it and reopened her to the public on 5 June 2005. In 2019
5680-454: Was furious with Gallery for endangering Ultra , the intelligence gained from Enigma decrypts, and considered court-martialling him. If the knowledge that a U-boat had been captured had reached Germany, the U-boat Arm would have made changes to tighten Enigma security, leading to an intelligence blackout on the eve of the Normandy landings . Since the Allies had gained access to Enigma with the captures of U-110 in 1941 and U-559 in 1942
5760-405: Was granted city status. Further work was undertaken as the streets began to be paved, wharves and slipways were built along the Faouédic river, and thatched houses were replaced with stone buildings following 18th-century classical architecture style as it was the case for l'Enclos. In 1744, the city walls were erected, and proved quickly useful as Lorient was raided in September 1746. Following
5840-565: Was launched on 24 May 1941 and commissioned on 26 August with Kapitänleutnant Axel-Olaf Loewe in command. On 6 September 1942, Loewe was relieved by Kptlt. Peter Zschech . On 24 October 1943, Oberleutnant zur See Paul Meyer took command for about two weeks until he was relieved on 8 November by Oblt.z.S. Harald Lange , who commanded the boat until her capture on 4 June 1944. She conducted twelve patrols, sinking eight ships totaling 45,005 GRT . Three of these were American, two British, one Norwegian, one Dutch, and one Colombian. U-505
5920-578: Was needed to house the submarine. After three days of towing, Guadalcanal transferred U-505 to the fleet tug Abnaki . On 19 June, the submarine entered the Great Sound , site of the United States Navy's Naval Operating Base in Bermuda , after a tow of 1,700 nautical miles (3,150 km; 1,960 mi). The US Navy took 58 prisoners from U-505 , three of them wounded. The crew were interned at Camp Ruston , near Ruston, Louisiana , in great secrecy. Secrecy
6000-538: Was not attacked. U-505 left Lorient on 11 February 1942 on her second patrol. In 86 days, she traveled to the west coast of Africa, where she sank her first vessels. In less than one month, U-505 sank four ships: British Benmohr , Norwegian Sydhav , American West Irmo , and Dutch Alphacca for a total of 25,041 GRT . On 18 April, U-505 was attacked by an Allied aircraft in the mid-Atlantic, but suffered little damage. U-505 began her third patrol on 7 June 1942, after leaving her home port of Lorient. She sank
6080-516: Was not badly damaged in this encounter, she had to return to France for repairs. U-505 ' s next four patrols were all aborted after only a few days at sea, due to equipment failure and sabotage by French dockworkers working for the Resistance . Faults found included sabotaged electrical and radar equipment, a hole deliberately drilled in a diesel fuel tank, and faulty welds on parts repaired by French workers. This happened so many times that it became
6160-417: Was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 PS (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,010 PS (750 kW; 1,000 shp) for use while submerged. It had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers . The boat
6240-735: Was present for the opening of the exhibition in Washington, DC. The Navy had no further use for U-505 after the war. Experts had thoroughly examined her in Bermuda, and it was moored derelict at the Portsmouth Navy Yard , so the Navy decided to use it as a target for gunnery and torpedo practice until it sank. In 1946, Rear Admiral Gallery, who opposed the Navy's plans for U-505 , told his brother Father John Gallery about this plan, and Father John contacted President Lenox Lohr of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry to see if they would be interested in her. The museum already planned to display
6320-530: Was removed in Type IXC and afterward. These long range boats were frequently equipped with Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 rotor kite towed rotary-wing aircraft. DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen built eight Type IXA U-boats. Type IXB was an improved model with an increased range. It was the most successful version overall with each boat averaging a total of over 100,000 GRT sunk. Notable IXB boats included U-123 commanded by Reinhard Hardegen , which opened up
6400-676: Was so important to the mission that the submarine's flag was kept under the personal care of the Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet during the duration of the war. The submarine's crewmen were isolated from other prisoners of war, and the Red Cross was denied access to them. The Kriegsmarine finally declared the crew dead and informed the families to that effect, and the crew was not returned until 1947. Historian Clay Blair states that United States Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Ernest King
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