| U-505 Type IXc U-Boat | |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Type | Submarine |
Galerie photo sur un U-505 Type IXc U-Boat, Le U-505 (Unterseeboot-505) est un sous-marin allemand qui a navigué durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Ce sous-marin U-505 a été capturé intact par la marine américaine, il appartenait à l’Unterseebootsflottille N°2 basée à Lorient.
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| U-505 Type IXc U-Boat | |
|---|---|
| Photographer | Unknow |
| Localisation | Unknow |
| Photos | 56 |
See also:
Overview and Service History
U-505 was a long-range German Type IXC U-boat, built for the Kriegsmarine and commissioned in August 1941. The Type IXC was larger and less agile than the standard Type VII but had a significantly greater range, making it suitable for extended patrols far from home.
- Builder: Deutsche Werft AG, Hamburg.
- Role: Long-range commerce raiding in the Battle of the Atlantic.
- Record: Sank 8 Allied ships during its service career.
- “Unlucky Boat”: U-505 suffered from numerous mechanical issues, command troubles (including a commander’s suicide), and even suspected sabotage by French dockworkers, leading to several aborted patrols.
The Capture
The U-505 is most famous for its capture by the U.S. Navy on June 4, 1944, off the coast of West Africa. This was the first time a US Navy vessel had captured an enemy vessel at sea since the War of 1812.
- Task Group: Captured by Task Group 22.3, an anti-submarine hunter-killer group led by the escort carrier USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60).
- Engagement: After being detected by sonar, depth charges from the destroyer escort USS Chatelain forced the U-boat to the surface.
- Boarding: The crew, believing the boat was sinking, abandoned ship and scuttled it. A boarding party from the USS Pillsbury, led by Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Albert David, boarded the abandoned, damaged U-boat, prevented it from sinking, and secured classified materials.
- Intelligence Value: The capture yielded a trove of secret documents, including Enigma machine rotors and codebooks, which provided a major boost to Allied code-breaking efforts against German naval communications.
Specifications (Type IXC)
Key Specifications (U-505)
| Characteristic | Specification |
|---|---|
| Type | Type IXC Submarine |
| Displacement (Surfaced) | 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) |
| Length (Overall) | 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) |
| Max Surface Speed | 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) |
| Max Submerged Speed | 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) |
| Max Range (Surfaced) | 13,450 nmi (24,910 km) at 10 knots |
| Test Depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Armament | 6 × 53.3 cm Torpedo Tubes (4 bow, 2 stern), 22 Torpedoes, 1 × 10.5 cm Deck Gun, AA guns (3.7 cm and 2 cm) |
| Complement | 48 to 56 crew |
| Current Status | Preserved as a museum ship at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. |
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