The U-505 Submarine has amazed Museum guests since 1954 in this incredible exhibition showcasing the story of its capture and exploring the technology and living conditions aboard the vessel. How did U-boat technology work? What was life like on the sub? How was the capture kept secret? This riveting wartime story comes alive in this awe inspiring exhibit.
What to expect
During a visit to our U-505 exhibit you will have the opportunity to engage with multiple interactive experiences, archival media, videos narrated by Bill Kurtis and nearly 200 artifacts, the U-505 Submarine exhibit is a treasure trove of history as well as a National Historic Landmark.
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Interactives
Explore what it might have been like to work on a submarine by diving into displays, games and activities that demonstrate life at sea.
Aboard a recreated sub environment, climb through the hatch and experience the sights, sounds and tight spaces that were reality for the U-505's 59 sailors during wartime.
Try to maneuver in the sub's tiny galley, or kitchen, only big enough for one person to stand. Or take your turn in one of the sub's "hot bunks." Only 35 bunks were on board the U-505, and at the time of the vessel's capture, there were 59 sailors. This meant that most of the men had to "hot bunk," or take turns sleeping in beds still warm from the use of a fellow crew member.
Patrol the seas on a recreated conning tower, complete with both an attack and an aerial-navigation periscope. Using these periscopes, outfitted with high-resolution LCD displays, race against the clock to launch a torpedo and determine your vessel's bearings to decide whether it is safe to surface.
On the attack periscope, become "Captain" and attempt to identify and lock in on an enemy target. A "Watch Officer" mans the aerial-navigation periscope, seeking out critical visual and navigational information. The patrol is a success if you can identify the harbor or dive before aircraft or enemy destroyers detect your vessel!
Use the principle of buoyancy to understand how the U-505 was able to adjust its depth. Like all submarines, by manipulating a variety of controls, U-boats could adjust their weight while at sea, enabling them to dive or surface quickly as needed.
With an 11-foot tall tank of water, take a timed challenge to alter the buoyancy of a cut-away model U-505, including a scaled representation of its ballast tanks. On the high seas, one mistake might keep a vessel on the surface a split second too long or drop it to crushing depths. Fill the U-boat's ballast tanks with just the right ratio of water and air to reach periscope depth, deep dive and neutral buoyancy — while still compensating for water temperature, saline levels and currents. A plasma screen illustrates an image of your boat out at sea, and signals your success.
Take the helm to maneuver your submarine through heavy fire across three state-of-the-art simulator screens.
Split-second communication between the crew was essential to survival on the U-505, especially during an attack. Experience a simulated battle and receive orders from the captain and executive officer to dodge torpedoes and evade dangerous depth charges that could force the vessel to surface. Players will trigger cues and spin wheels that mimic the same controls inside the U-505.
The Enigma machine allowed German forces to communicate in secret by scrambling and unscrambling their messages to each other. The Allied forces struggled for years to decode Enigma messages, but the code was nearly impossible to crack since Enigma machines could be reconfigured easily. On four interactive touch-screen stations try to decode an “enemy” Enigma message or create your own code.
Dive Deeper
German submarines were a menace during WWII, wreaking havoc on both the military and civilians. But with some clever technology and incredible bravery the U.S. Navy managed to disarm and capture one of these deadly U-boats.
How do you hide something the length of a city block, weighing three times the Statue of Liberty?
Dig into WWII history and learn more about not only the capture but the relocation of this massive artifact to its home here at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry.
Add the optional daily On-Board Tour to your visit to explore the submarine's interior. On select weekend mornings before the Museum opens, you can also dive deeper into the submarine's story on a private group tour with a submarine veteran.
