General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
U-505, the Curator, the project in brief
Posted by:
Keith Gill
()
Date: January 16, 2002 07:57PM
<HTML>Hello all,
I am the curator of the U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry. You will see my email contact on this response. I welcome all questions and input negative and positive. I am only one person however so please be patient as I try to answer emails in order received. I look forward to hearing from you.
I have read some recent postings on U-505 and can see that you are all starving for information on the project we are involved in and realted issues to U-505. I have been at the museum for 13 years and have compiled a large archives on the U-505 in particular. We are preparing more detailed postings to our web site and I can only say to look for this in the near future.
As you hopefully can see the museum is carefully considering each part of the project to move U-505 into a protected enclosure. We have done considereable FEA survey to determine if the boat can be moved without causing damage. We are also looking to preserve as much of the original boat as possible without continuing the practice of cutting and replacement with new steel. We want to present as much of the original boat as possible to our visitors. This is one reason to bring it indoors.
We have chosen who we think is the best company to move the boat and they have extensive background on these kinds of moves. The move of course will be visible to the public and we intend on documenting it completely for the exhibit itself.
Many have said that the interior of U-505 is in bad condition. While it may not look all that attractive it is interesting to note that period photos of the control room interior show a rather nasty looking interior with flaking paint and dirt. We hope to turn this into a positive and present the boat at the point of its capture, not necessarily the point it came from the shipyard. It should look lived in and worn.
What most people do not know is that the original colors of the U-505 when captured are present under all of this flaking paint and that we intend on preserving as much of it as possible. This means that simple painting and scraping is not always appropriate in all cases. We will be working closely with our conservator to determine the best treatment for all these areas. It is important that we preserve before we replace, and that we restore before we make a replica. Painting all of it new only presents a replica of what it really was and we are convinced that the actual paint layers can be more useful in touring the U-505 than a modern rendition. We are still working out a method for preserving and presenting authentic paint layers. This logic follows with all other parts of the boat. We must also keep it practical so it is a balance to strive for at times.
There are many other topics I am sure but this should get us started.
Too make a clarification on the museum contacts, Krisitn Clark is the coordinator for the fundraising effort only for the U-505 project. Any questions you might have about the boat itself, history, operation, or crew, or the American side, should be directed to myself keith.gill@msichicgo.org and as I said I will try to reply as soon as I am able. If I am unable to answer at all or perhaps your question is more for someone else at the museum I will forward your request on to them.
Good luck to all in the new year.
Sincerely,
Keith Gill
Curator U-505
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago</HTML>
I am the curator of the U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry. You will see my email contact on this response. I welcome all questions and input negative and positive. I am only one person however so please be patient as I try to answer emails in order received. I look forward to hearing from you.
I have read some recent postings on U-505 and can see that you are all starving for information on the project we are involved in and realted issues to U-505. I have been at the museum for 13 years and have compiled a large archives on the U-505 in particular. We are preparing more detailed postings to our web site and I can only say to look for this in the near future.
As you hopefully can see the museum is carefully considering each part of the project to move U-505 into a protected enclosure. We have done considereable FEA survey to determine if the boat can be moved without causing damage. We are also looking to preserve as much of the original boat as possible without continuing the practice of cutting and replacement with new steel. We want to present as much of the original boat as possible to our visitors. This is one reason to bring it indoors.
We have chosen who we think is the best company to move the boat and they have extensive background on these kinds of moves. The move of course will be visible to the public and we intend on documenting it completely for the exhibit itself.
Many have said that the interior of U-505 is in bad condition. While it may not look all that attractive it is interesting to note that period photos of the control room interior show a rather nasty looking interior with flaking paint and dirt. We hope to turn this into a positive and present the boat at the point of its capture, not necessarily the point it came from the shipyard. It should look lived in and worn.
What most people do not know is that the original colors of the U-505 when captured are present under all of this flaking paint and that we intend on preserving as much of it as possible. This means that simple painting and scraping is not always appropriate in all cases. We will be working closely with our conservator to determine the best treatment for all these areas. It is important that we preserve before we replace, and that we restore before we make a replica. Painting all of it new only presents a replica of what it really was and we are convinced that the actual paint layers can be more useful in touring the U-505 than a modern rendition. We are still working out a method for preserving and presenting authentic paint layers. This logic follows with all other parts of the boat. We must also keep it practical so it is a balance to strive for at times.
There are many other topics I am sure but this should get us started.
Too make a clarification on the museum contacts, Krisitn Clark is the coordinator for the fundraising effort only for the U-505 project. Any questions you might have about the boat itself, history, operation, or crew, or the American side, should be directed to myself keith.gill@msichicgo.org and as I said I will try to reply as soon as I am able. If I am unable to answer at all or perhaps your question is more for someone else at the museum I will forward your request on to them.
Good luck to all in the new year.
Sincerely,
Keith Gill
Curator U-505
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago</HTML>
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
U-505, the Curator, the project in brief
|
Keith Gill | 01/16/2002 07:57PM |
|
Re: U-505, the Curator, the project in brief
|
ray schwartz | 01/17/2002 11:39AM |
|
Re: U-505, the Curator, the project in brief
|
Keith Gill | 01/23/2002 04:08PM |
|
Re: U-505, the Curator, the project in brief
|
Ken Dunn | 01/18/2002 01:33AM |
|
Re: U-505, the Curator, the project in brief
|
Keith Gill | 01/23/2002 04:21PM |
|
Re: U-505, the Curator, the project in brief
|
Brian Harrison | 08/24/2015 01:53AM |