U-505: America's Captured, German Death Tube

U-505 is a German Type IXC submarine, snatched by the United States Navy during World War II. Completed and commissioned in August 1942, Kapitänleutnant Axel-Olaf Loewe was the captain. After decommissioning, U-505 was donated to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago in 1954. It's 76.76 meters long and weighs 1,120 tonnes when at the surface. It could dive to 230 meters and travel at 18.3 knots on the surface. Armed with six 53.3-centimeter torpedo tubes, one 10.5-centimeter gun, and a 3.7-centimeter antiaircraft gun, it's an embodiment of the ingenuity and destructiveness of war.

Captured on June 4, 1944, the crew spent time in an American POW camp. Axel-Olaf Loewe, the captain, did not. He committed suicide before capture. Known for its six botched patrols, U-505 is the only sub where a commanding officer killed himself in combat conditions. Curiously, U-505 was the 'most heavily damaged U-boat to successfully return to port' in World War II. Its second patrol resulted in the sinking of four ships off the coast of France.

Contrary to plans, U-505 did not travel to the west coast of Africa as intended. A visit to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is recommended to see this unique piece of history yourself.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons