German submarine U-505

U-505 shortly after being captured, pictured from the USS Pillsbury in preparation for towing
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-505
Ordered	25 September 1939
Builder	Deutsche Werft AG, Hamburg-Finkenwerder
Yard number	295
Laid down	12 June 1940
Launched	24 May 1941
Commissioned	26 August 1941
Fate	Captured by US Navy on 4 June 1944[1][2]
Status	Preserved as a museum ship[2]
General characteristics
Type	Type 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
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.70 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 depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	48 to 56
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla 26 August 1941 – 31 January 1942 2nd U-boat Flotilla 1 February 1942 – 4 June 1944
Identification codes:	M 46 074
Commanders:	K.Kapt. Axel-Olaf Loewe 26 August 1941 – 5 September 1942 Kptlt. Peter Zschech 6 September 1942 – 24 October 1943 Oblt.z.S. Paul Meyer (acting) 24 October – 7 November 1943 Oblt.z.S. Harald Lange 8 November 1943 – 4 June 1944
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)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Coordinates	41°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)
Built	1941
Architect	Deutsche Werft AG, Hamburg, Germany
NRHP reference No.	89001231
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	1989[3]
Designated NHL	1989[4]

U-505 is a German Type IXC submarine built for Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was captured by the U.S. Navy on 4 June 1944.

In her uniquely unlucky career with the Kriegsmarine, she had the distinction of being the "most heavily damaged U-boat to successfully return to port" in World War II on her fourth patrol, and the only submarine in which a commanding officer killed himself in combat conditions on her tenth patrol, following six botched patrols.^[5] She was captured on 4 June 1944 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 World War II. 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 at a US 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. She is now one of four German World War II U-boats that survive as museum ships, and just one of two Type IXCs still in existence with U-534.