Off topic - U-505

[Der Kuenstler]

Last weekend my family and I visited the U-505 exibit in Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Nice! The U-505 was captured off the coast of Africa in 1944. They have cut holes in the sides and totally restored it so you can take a tour through it - very cool! I recognized a lot of equipment inside from playing my Silent Hunter game.

As a bonus I was also happily surprised to see an actual Stuka and a Spitfire in the museum suspended from the ceiling on cables with their original paint schemes. I would recommend it to anyone going through the Chicago area.



This is me at the stern of the vessel - touching a piece of WWII history. (hey - there was no sign that said I couldn't!)

[Mad Baron]

Great photo!!

I'm a U-boat enthusiast, and have seen both U-505 (a Type IX) in Chicago and U-995 (a Type VII) in Laboe, Germany first-hand. There used to be a cool Virtual Tour of U-505 online, but the Museum sent me this:

_______________
I’m sorry to be the bearer of (temporarily) bad news, but as you’ve discovered, we’ve temporarily removed the U-505 Virtual Tour as part of the Museum’s website redesign. The old Virtual Tour required users to install plug-ins before it could be viewed. Because the site was redesigned in part to be easier to use, we’re working to find a new presentation for this tour that requires no additional software.

I apologize if you were disappointed to find this feature missing, but we do hope to restore the U-505 Virtual Tour soon. In the interim, for your U-505 viewing fix, there’s always the “U-505 Extend the Experience” DVD available from our online store <http://www.msichicago.org/about-the-museum/store/> .

Thanks again for your message, and for your interest in the Museum of Science and Industry.

Best wishes,
Jason Meyer

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Jason Meyer
Web Editor
Museum of Science and Industry
57th Street and Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60637

[Mad Baron]

I will finish with this. There are only 2 major intact U-boats on display in the world today. U-505 in Chicago and U-995 on the beach (just northeast of Kiel) in Laboe, Germany.

Here's a snapshot of mine of U-995......

[Steel God]

Thanks for sharing!! :thumbs_up:

[Mad Baron]

Thanks!!

But I should add, too, there is also a former Type XXI Electro-Boat (U-2540; the world's first true submarine) on display in Bremerhaven today, although it was remodeled for some post-war use (and was renamed the Wilhelm Bauer). It is also open to tours these days

So it was a WW2 U-boat, but was re-modeled later. But still a good tour to make!