U-505
Type | IXC | |||||||||
| Ordered | 25 Sep, 1939 | |||||||||
| Laid down | 12 Jun, 1940 | Deutsche Werft AG, Hamburg (werk 295) | ||||||||
| Launched | 24 May, 1941 | |||||||||
| Commissioned | 26 Aug, 1941 | Kptlt. Axel-Olaf Loewe | ||||||||
| Commanders |
| |||||||||
| Career | 12 patrols | 26 Aug, 1941 - 31 Jan, 1942 4. Flottille (training) 1 Feb, 1942 - 4 Jun, 1944 2. Flottille (front boat) | ||||||||
| Successes | 8 ships sunk for a total of 45.005 GRT | |||||||||
| Fate | Captured at sea west of Africa on 4 June, 1944 by ships and Wildcat aircraft of the US Navy task force 22.3, escort carrier USS Guadalcanal, destroyer escorts USS Pillsbury, USS Chatelain, USS Flaherty, USS Jenks and USS Pope. 1 dead and 59 survivors. | |||||||||
See the 8 ships hit by U-505 - View the 12 war patrols
Attacks on this boat
18 Apr, 1942
The U-505 was attacked by an aircraft in the mid-Atlantic and suffered a small amount of damage.
23 Sep, 1942
The boat was attacked by the freighter Antonius with gunfire. The boat crash dived.
10 Nov, 1942
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:British Hudson V9253 (53 Sqdn RAF/L, pilot F/S R.R. Sillcock, RAAF)
The II WO and one lookout from the U-505 were seriously wounded in a surprising air attack out of low clouds by a Hudson aircraft southeast of Trinidad. The aircraft dropped four depth charges and scored a direct hit, but was lost with its five-man crew in the explosion. The boat was damaged heavily and broke off its patrol. 12 days later the wounded II WO was transferred to the Milk Cow U-462.
(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)8 Jul, 1943
On its 6th day out of Lorient 3 British destroyes from a hunter-killer group hunted the boat for 36 hours (assisted by a leak in an external fuel tank). Finally the boat managed to shake the hunters and return to Lorient, France on July 13 for repairs. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 383.)
24 Oct, 1943
The commander of U-505, Kptlt. Peter Zschech, committed suicide while under a heavy depth charge attack on 24 Oct. This was the only such case in the war. The IWO, Meyer, saved the boat and brought it back to port.
5 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
Check out the U-505 Gallery page
The Museum of Science of Industry website also has great material on U-505.
Annoucements related to this boat
U-505 project in Chicago on schedule (3 Mar, 2005)U-505 being moved (12 Apr, 2004)
U-505 to have its original periscope back (14 Sep, 2002)
U-505 needs repairs (11 Nov, 1997)
Men lost from the boat
10 Nov, 1942
The II WO and one lookout from U-505 were seriously wounded in an air attack by an Hudson aircraft from the 53th Squadron RAF, which was lost in that attack. The boat was damaged heavily and headed back. 12 days later the wounded II WO was transferred to the Milk Cow U-462.
The heavy damages suffered by U-505
24 Oct, 1943
The commander of U-505, Kptlt. Peter Zschech, committed suicide while under a heavy depth charge attack on 24 Oct. This was the only such case in the war. The IWO, Meyer, saved the boat and brought it back to port.
Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -
 Twenty Million Tons under the Sea Gallery, Daniel V., RAdm., USN, ret. Buy this title at amazon.co.uk £ 8.59 ( 11% off See more sellers |
Books dealing with this subject include: Admiral Dan Gallery, Gilliland, C. Herbert and Shenk, Robert, 1999 Clear the Decks!, Gallery, Daniel V. Rear Admiral U.S.N. (ret.), 1967 German U-Boat Losses During World War II, Niestle, Axel, 1998 Hunt and Kill, Savas, Theodore, 2004 Steel Boats, Iron Hearts, Goebeler, Hans Jacob, 1999 The Story of the U-505, N/A, 1955 Twenty Million Tons under the Sea, Gallery, Daniel V., RAdm., USN, ret., 2001 (transl.) U-505 Victory, Cortesi, Lawrence, 1986 U-Boat Adventures, Wiggins, Melanie, 1999 U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1, Wynn, Kenneth, 1998 U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2, Wynn, Kenneth, 1998  Verdammter Atlantik, Herlin, Hans, 1994 (transl.) We Captured a U-Boat, Gallery, Daniel V., 1957 |