The U-505’s lair
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry
The U-505 was initially berthed outdoors but was later moved into an indoor climate-controlled environment to better preserve it in the long term.
“The lives and the history that is embedded within the U-505, we don’t want to lose any of that,” Voula Saridakis, a curator at the Museum of Science and Industry, told Business Insider. “It’s so important, historically, of what this war was all about, especially the Battle of the Atlantic, which often, I think, gets overlooked in many ways.”
Due to its size, the exhibit’s concrete housing was erected around the U-505, surrounded by external exhibits that relayed the history of the submarine and the Battle of the Atlantic, whose toll included over 100,000 sailors and mariners and 3,500 merchant ships; Germany alone lost 783 U-boats and an estimated 30,000 crewmen.
The interior of the submarine was meticulously restored to replicate the atmosphere and environment as it was before its capture more than eight decades ago, complete with simulated lighting and sound effects to add to the immersiveness.
“As our visitors come through, they can get an idea of what life was like for these submariners and the living conditions and the tech and the innovation that went into this Type IXC,” Saridakis said.
In 1982, members from the US Navy’s Task Group 22.3 reunited with members of the German submarine’s crew in Chicago, marking the first time the German sailors saw the U-boat since the war.
“Part of what we want to do is preserve the history of the U-505, the battle, and the capture for future generations,” Saridakis said, “and we do this through telling this story, helping our guests understand its history and keeping this up and preserved for as long as we can.”
