U-505 Reopens - soon

[Weston]

The U-505 Story

On June 4, 1944, Captain Daniel V. Gallery, a Chicago native, made history leading the United States Navy USS Guadalcanal Task Group 22.3’s dramatic capture of the U-505 submarine off the coast of Africa. The U-505 was the only German submarine captured by the U.S. Navy during World War II and the code books seized from the submarine greatly assisted the Allied effort. The U-505 became part of the Museum of Science and Industry’s collection in 1954. More than 24 million guests have visited the legendary vessel since then. Today, the U-505 is a National Historic Landmark, the only U-boat of its type in the United States and the only Type IX-C submarine left in the world.

Over the years, weather and pollution battered the U-505, called “one of the most prized museum holdings in the nation” by the Chicago Tribune. In 1997, the Museum launched the largest exhibit restoration project in its history—an effort to conserve the U-505 and move it indoors to a climate-controlled environment.

The submarine, which closed to visitors in January 2004, will return in spring 2005 as part of a dramatic, new 35,000-square-foot exhibit that brings the story of the U-505 to life for modern audiences.