America Stole A German Submarine And Stuck It In Chicago
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- Опубліковано 18 чер 2023
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Sorry video was a day late this week.
Thats fine as long as its good content take as long as needed
Thank you for making this amazing story. This is one of the many ways that proves Uncle Sam will go through many lengths to get what he wants
Will the next one be a day early?
Please keep up the good work I wait all week for more of these and I love showing them off
Do the Alamo or the battle of San Jacinto
I was once, about 15 years ago, on a plane with an elderly gentleman named “Steve.” He told me a story of how he went on a tour of that boat, and the tour guide spoke with a German accent. The guide spoke competently about crew routines, how they lived day to day, and how they operated. Steve stuck around to talk to the guide and asked how he could possibly know so much. The guide responded “I was a radioman on this boat when it was captured.”
Hans Goebeler. He wrote a book about it. Made a comment about it here. He actually talks about this in the book. It's on Audiable. One of the most interesting ones I've listened to.
Lol, that's awesome.
The radio operator?
Would love to have a chat with him.
All I can say is wow
The POWs from this u boat were sent off to Canada and spent the rest of the war basically living the easy life on farms and what not. After the war many chose to stay in Canada.
30 or 40 years ago .... I went to the Museum of Science and Industry and took the tour, when it was still included in the admission price for the place.
Seabees: "We robbed a train."
USS Barb: "Ha. We blew up a train."
TF 22.3: "That's adorable. We blew up, salvaged, and stole a submarine!"
Stole. Stole a train. Big difference.
@@vidard9863 and many cases of beer
@bryancamaco101
😂😝😀😅😜😁👍😈
That is epic U.S. interunit one-up-manship. 👍😉
Although TECHNICALLY, the Sea Bees STOLE that train, and the Barb SANK theirs, but still a great gag.
@@vidard9863 borrowed, borrowed without permission
-Captain Jack Sparrow
I mean technically the Seabees not only stole the train they repaired the tracks to keep it from being stolen.
"Not only are you not allowed to sink your own ship
Your not even allowed to rage quit and the us is about to joyride your fucking submarine through the Bermuda triangle
Im literally crying laughing
Seems only fair as they did not have keyboards to smash against their screens back then!
German Officer: "They stole the whole sub. Can't have sht in the Atlantic!!!"
Love that comment at 15:05 "Where it sits as a proud member of the second largest navy on the planet: America's fleet of museum ships." XD
UK: "So you stole the sub and put it in a museum?"
USA: "Well... I learned it by watching you."
UK: "Im so proud."
happy father's day 😆 🤣
@@the_fat_electrician that is beautiful.
The student surpasses the mentor I see 👀👀😏😏 (this sub taking is wild)
*sniffs holding back Fatherly and patriotic Tears* "I've taught you all I know. You must now make your own way in the world, my Son"
@@MajesticDemonLord if only it went like that.
The whole of WW2 was just America dropping UNLIMITED amounts of disrespect. And i love it
Patton should have pushed through Russia after DubDub2
@@DZ4295DBW Churchill would have approved.
@@DZ4295DBWthat would not have ended well for anyone
💎”we attacked three boats, they dropped the sun on us twice”💎
@@howardanon7433 Wouldn't have ended WWII as quick but the cold war stand off with all the events like Vietnam, Bay of pigs and the like along with the Great leap Forward and the current CCP would be gone.
@the_fat_electrician I met one of the crew that carried out this mission. He was a really great guy named Rex Moore, and he lived in Van Meter, IA. When I was in 8th grade I interviewed him for an English project. His story was basically the same as yours. That the Germans tried to sink it but "we didn't let them." He said they hooked a chain to it and drug it across the ocean. They were pretty happy about finding that enigma machine. I went to Chicago and got him one of those little injection molded submarines you can get at the museum. He was pretty tickled about that. RIP Mr. Moore. Thanks for telling the story sir.
When I started as a merchant sailor I heard a story that I didn't believe at first but turned out to be true. Back in WW2 merchant sailors on the Atlantic run would sometimes sneak off the ship and join the Marines... because it was safer. The merchant fleet had a higher loss of men than all 3 branches of the military combined over the length of the war. To this day we STILL wonder why we're not allowed to be armed.
It's probably in one of those Geneva conventions
@@Kyle_Da_Frog Rarely, and most of those are gone now. I was on one ship with an arms locker. The Engineering crew got nothing but the OS got the grenade launcher... on a munitions ship... 😬
@LordWaterBottle ahh yes. The Geneva Suggestions
Many were armed with 4inch guns fore and aft along with anti aircraft guns. The problem is that only really helps if the enemy is a surface ship or surfaced sub. As the war went on UBoat surface attacks were rarer and rarer as escorts and aircraft increased in numbers. You can have all the firepower in the world but It does very little to help when your ship is hit by a torpedo fired by a submerged submarine.
@@LordWaterBottlekind off, any armored ship in any regards is considereda war vessel, so is not a war crime to shot it
Sadly this for merchant ships makes them easy targets, I wish that all ships even civilian ones counts under protection of a nation (if you want to hold a ship legally) and if this ship is attacked it counts as a war agression, wich would make pirates unable to attack freely, and nations would be careful about where they send their ships, and what ships they capture for being ilegally in their waters (in fact, doing this had triggered was in the past)
German U-boat commander: “When my chain of command hears about this, I am so screwed.”
American commander: “IF. IF your chain of command hears about this.”
German U-boat commander: "If? If is good!"
someone call IXII
This. This is why I follow you.
@@the_fat_electrician Fun fact- HIS boss is one of the very few that survived the war and the trials.
That's hilarious. I love the reference. Ya'll are the best.
Fun fact about U505 not in the video:
After the war when news that U505 was being turned into a museum ship, the companies in West Germany that used to manufacture spare parts for those subs, offered to supply replacement parts for the sub.
I can just imagine it: “we regret that you have taken our boat captive. But since she’s going to be a museum ship, here; at least make her look accurate.”
Most German fucking thing ever. Well if your going to have our ship it had to be proper and look good.
Germans are an interesting people. I can understand their logic:...there was no point in grumbling about it, the US had it, so might as well put a good face on it, and get back just a leeeetle bit of respect.
“If you’re gonna show off our engineering at least do it right” oh and btw the engines still work
@Idiotresponsibly tell that to my Audi lol, that's why my daily car is a Honda.
@@davidschmidt6013I mean what were they going to do? Fight us?
This video needs to be shown at the exhibit in the museum in Chicago!! Give them the rights please!
As a fellow electrician, that driveshaft hack was fucking baller
Normal countries: "We defend ourselves by building walls and digging trenches so the enemy can't get to us."
America: _"We defend ourselves by eradicating the enemy pre-emptively, so the enemy can't get to us."_
*America: Because an enemy can't be an enemy if it has neither arms nor legs to fight or run with.*
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but you seem to be a bit facetious.
France built the Maginot Line after WW I, that didn't work out so well for them.
"The enemy cannot push a button if you disable his hand."
"MEDIC!"
@@Rotorhead1651yea it didn't work bc they built a wall of bodies and German pierced though a single part of it which broke the line
@@Rotorhead1651the maginot line was built after the German-French war that created the Germany empire. It didn’t work cause of Belgium.
@@Droski-Boutta-BagMaginot failed because it was developed by French war strategists who failed to realize that a static defensive line only works if you can't blitzkrieg the guy next door to death and drive around.
"We don't need to build this around Belgium. No army can get past Jean-Claude Van Damme."
"but sir! He hasn't been born yet!"
"noooooooooo!"
German Army: "who's up for waffles?"
I've been on this U-boot at the MSI. It was... humbling.
Also, you left the best part of the story out: The interior of the ship had to be refurbished after the war. The curator of the exhibit wrote to all the German companies he needed parts from, fully expecting to be told "Nein, fahr zur Hoelle". Every single company sent the parts free of charge, with a passive-aggressive message saying that it was still German property and they wanted it to be a testament to German engineering.
😆 epic!
That's the German Spirit that I Know and Love.
For all their shitty leadership and the monstrosity of the Holocaust, the Germans really did have incredible tech edge for the day. They just didn't have anything like enough of an industrial infrastructure to keep up with America, who was supplying themselves, plus England and Russia with enough goodies to win the war of attrition.
The whole situation was perfectly summed up when I heard someone say _"One Tiger was worth three Shermans, but America could build five."_
The specific wording used in the museum's description of the event, as I recall, is "We are terribly sorry that you have our U-boat, however, as it appears she is going to be there for a while, we want her to be the best testament to German engineering that she can be."
Which is fair enough.
as a german citizen I can say: WOW that's a GREAT story! thank you for telling it so wonderfully
It’s a great story, absolutely. But he twists some bits and tells it very favorably for the Americans. For example it’s way easier to repair a surfaced uboat if nobody shoots at you. I bet the Germans could have easily repaired the boat if let alone. It takes away from the accomplishments those brave Americans have shown by blowing them out of proportion…
@@erebostd Womp womp
@@erebostd ... because after all, the germans could have paddled themselves into motion with oars and spun that propeller, generating the needed power in time before it sank.
"Here's all the shit from your office and it's distinctly not water logged." Lmfao
This man is the GOAT.
"I stole that submarine fair and square" -makes me proud to be an American!
🇺🇸❤️
God bless the United States.
The sheer gall of wanting to nuke such an impressive war trophy!
@@pigpuke They nuked several allied and axis ships that were worthy for preservation, the Prinz Eugen for example. They probably didn't see the value of that yet.
@@Tony.795 Those were ships boarded while moored in port after the surrender, not a ship captured in battle on the high seas. There is no honour or glory lost in nuking them.
"strategically transfered a piece of equipment to an alternate location" is a beautiful way to describe stealing
its also an acronym for stealing too
Everywhere I go
Secretly Taking Everything And Leaving can also apply.
ITS YOU!
WHY TF DO I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE
All of his content is freaking amazing, I really do look forward to the weekly content, and his sense of humor is FKN EPIC!!!! Love this guy lol, and how he puts his own personal spin on things.
I think the best part of the story was the company who built U-505 was the one who restored it. The inside was kinda trashed and after sitting in Chicago for a couple decades things were rusting a bit. They said they would restore it back to original conditions for free as long as it was them doing the work. So that boat is as close to original delivery condition as you could possibility get it.
Just imagine how interested kids would be in history, if the Fat Electrician taught all the classes! 😀👍
He would make history interesting. alright class! Today's lesson of warheads on foreheads s how these absolutely fearless men decided during a seek and destroy mission to play the very first GTA with a German U boat!
Not only would his class be the absolute best, it would also inspire more generations to join the military
Thats so true!
I'd happily attend that class
No shit lol
I'd rather climb Everest to fight a Yeti than get into a submarine. Hats off to those that do.
same!
I would rather have a drink made by Bill Cosby than get in a glorified metal tube
I’m a Marine Veteran, but worked for the Navy 22 years. 10 for Navair, the rest for Sublant. Worked on the Balistic missile boats, I got claustrophobia after working on those damn things!
When I enlisted in the Navy my recruiting station was all prior sub guys, my recruiter was an MM1 bubblehead, I was a rail skinny kid at the time and he looked at me and said "you'd be a perfect fit for sub duty!" I looked him in the eye and said, "The Marines next door are looking really good right now!" Mad props to the people that can do it, I certainly cannot!
@@the_fat_electrician I'm a former sub sailor.
I like to say that we're not elite (because you just volunteer and you get in; there's no "selection" like in the SF communities).
HOWEVER, there are so few of us willing to do the job, we ARE special.
Supporting a family owned company with forged lifetime Tools is remarkable. Thank you very much.
If you're in Chicago, it's definitely worth a visit. It has been beautifully restored and the short tour is very informative.
I grew up in Illinois. There was always a story floating around that one of the US sailors that "acquired" the sub was feom Chicago. Every year he took his kids and eventually his grandkids to see the sub. He often took them into parts of the sub not open to the public. Supposedly one time a museum worker said something to him going over the rooes. His reply was basically "F u. I helped steal this sub and I will go where I want to on it." The story continues with the worker replying "Yes sir. Have a great day." Not sure how true it is. But it would be awesome if it was.
That’s fvcking badass 😂
The shear “fair enough” level is insane
Bro was verbally flash banged so hard he just said “ok”
Just as the Medal of Honor has perks attached for those who earned it, I, as a tax-payer, have absolutely NO PROBLEM with a warrior who helped seize the thing wandering around it all they want. I'd go about it with a special lanyard or tag or something so that all the staff knows who not to mess with and should be absolutely listened to, but it would certainly be their right.
Just toured the U505 this weekend. Really cool story. Commander Gallery was from Chicago, he's one of the key reasons it ended up there.
@chrismaverick9828 this reminds me of when Donald Pleasence gave the director of "The Great escape" advice on the set and tunnels and the director blew him off. He thought it was an actor just trying to show off but when others told him that Pleasence had actually been a POW during the war, the director went back and asked him for advice.
The fun thing bout U505, was that in like the 80s she was in bad shape.
Cause she was originally left outside in a Chicago park for like 40 odd years.
So they decided to move her inside to what is her current location after restoration.
Well the company that built her and made most of her parts in the War, which been long since knicked by the locals cause Chicago never change, came to the museum and said:
"We are sorry that you have our U-boat, but since she's going to be there for many years, we want her to be a credit to German technology."
And that is how U505 became the most complete German submarine in the world.
I saw her in the early 90s; when she was still outside. The new room is a fitting tribute to her, her sisters and the Allies who hunted them
"we are sorry you have our U-boat" is such a German way of saying "yeah, sorry we tried to take over the world and made you stop us..." 🫥
I went aboard U-505 twice, once in the late 1970s and again in the early 1980s.
Seeing it in the indoor display room is on my 'To Do' list.
Lmfao! You got me with the Where's Waldo book! I actually believed that until you said you made it up. 😂😂😂
I've been to the U-505 exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It's one of the coolest exhibitions I've ever been to and a must-see for any history nerd, especially those interested in WW2 history. You get to walk around inside the U boat and see basically everything inside. If you're taller than 5'8" though, watch your head.
Once I heard the part about a cameraman boarding the sub, I knew they were going to succeed. Camera man never dies.
My friend, never go on Live Leak
Survivor's bias my dude, the ones where the camera man didn't make it are the one's we don't know about or are forgotten
My immediate reaction. "They succeeded this BECAUSE of the camerman. He wasn't the outlier, he was the reason."
@@Gabryal77 Lies camerman never dies.
Plenty of cameramen died during world War 2 trying to record footage for movies. Check out the lost camera crews on bombers.
Hey Nick, one of my great-grandfathers took part in capturing the U-505. He was part of the boarding party, and where he had to swim to the damn sub in order to get the hatches open. He received the Presidential Unit Citation for him and his units' bravery while under hostile gun fire. My grandma told me that his job in the Navy had to do with engineering, so, he was pretty much needed in the salvaging operation that took place during and after capture. Sadly, in 1973, at age 44, he passed from cancer. After being told his story and his bravery, he is now one of my inspirations for joining the Navy, hopefully, soon. I will send an email to you with the actual paper certificate, the picture of him and his fellow sailors.
Edit/Correction: He was 18 when he joined in 1943 and died at 48 in 1973. His name was John Howard "Mickey" Davies, Jr.
Sorry to those who literally went to all hands on deck to correct me. Jeez.
that incredible! thank you for sharing I hope u liked the video
Out-fucking-standing!
I remember reading about him in the U505 exhibit. One of my favorite parts because I thought "who would do that!?" What he did is incredible. I'm so sorry to hear he passed away so young.
Submarine duty is the best duty in the Navy.... Ex-Bubblehead. (STS2-SS).
Good Luck.
Your Great Grandpa is a Legend.
Thats why i love this channel. When i was a new sailor in Chicago at A-school, i went to see this and i never realized how impressive the story was. Same for the Wisconsin in Norfolk.
The rube-goldberg mechanisms Navy enlisted men have come up with multiple times to save a ship from certain destruction always amaze me.
Best example was when a mine broke FFG-58's keel and the Captain was preparing to order abandon ship, since you are pretty screwed with a broken keel, then some rando E-4 suggested running steel cable between the fore and aft capstans and taking them under strain to artificially create a new keel between the strongest structural points of the ship, the capstans. It worked, the ship was saved and continued to serve till retirement in 2015. I was a DivO and despite their lack of education, the enlisted man is cunning and should be heeded for wisdom and watched for mischief in equal measure.
Fun fact - the original periscope for the U505 had been removed and taken to San Diego for inspection. The German periscopes were able to be rotated up in order to look for airplanes, this was adapted to American submarines and were used in the 50s to inspect the polar ice when we were sending nukes to the North Pole. It was found in a warehouse scheduled for demolition in the 90's, and they sent it to Chicago to be remounted in the 505. I actually went through the sub in the early 80's, and was surprised at how cramped they were (and that was the larger of the two types the Kriegsmarine used through most of the war).
US Subs, at least after the S-Class, were designed for longer patrols and better comfort for crews. Happier crews means more bad guys on the bottom, it's just simple arithmetic.
Dennis, that's an absolutely awesome piece of info. Thank you for that. It's amazing how many pieces of our military history were very nearly lost, but due to the efforts of one or two individuals, were saved. It's similar in a minor way to Remington Arms Model 721 bolt action rifles. I won't bore you with the details but if you're interested, Google "Drafted but never served" and get the full story. I have one of the Model 721's in my gun cabinet, complete with the original shipping carton and advertising from 1941. Have a great day and thanks again.
@@jonpatterson7211 Not sure on the military side, but the 721 and 722 are pretty much the dad of the 700, and were very popular hunting and target shooting rifles in their days. I've seen a plethora of 721s in 30-06 in the hunting woods, and an uncle owns one. The 722 in 222 was a very popular platform for varmint hunting and benchrest shooting.
Actually Germans were slightly shorter in the kriegsmarine specifically the U-Boots because they are designed to cut through the water like a knife and to be able to run silently at around 6knts. And for those of you who do not know what silent running is silent running is where the screw will be turning so slow that it does not create bubbles in the water. This allowed for the Germans to quickly escape Royal Navy patrols who used hydrophones and lacked American sonar. They may have been able to stop the Luftwaffe but man did the uboats do a number on them.
@@zackwolf974 The Royal Navy actually had been using Sonar during World War I calling ASDIC, they refined the tactics during WW2 with the "Creeping Attack" where one ship would keep the U-boat detected, while another ship would actually perform the attack.
The photographer may have been the most important man on the mission - if they determine the boat IS sunk, he can snap a few pics of any important docs/intel before the lot of it sinks to the bottom. Remember, the paper had ink that dissolved in water so taking any intel of the boat where the ocean can get to it would be highly risky to the intel. But if they had a photo of it...
damn, I did not realize that until you pointed it out. Thye really could have just let the thing sink and let the photographer take pics of as many stuff as he could.
What do people say? A picture is worth 1000 words?
Hell yeah, I'm from West Virginia, thanks for supporting our businesses.
Another detail that saved the sub was the German crew's failure to dispose of a critical piece of sea scuttling equipment. U-Boats were equipped with sealed pipes called 'sea strainers' which would fill the craft with seawater when the cover was removed. Those covers were then supposed to be tossed overboard. However, whoever removed the cover on the U505 just dropped it next to the pipe. A member of the recovery crew was lucky enough to find the cover in the knee-high water next to the strainer and seal it back up. If this wasn't done the sub probably would have been lost.
His name was Hans Goebler, I met him back in the 80's and have an autographed picture of him. In his defence he was a very young 18 and no one expected the americans to board the sub.
@@frankjohnson6646 I too knew Hans. He was a standard fixture at gun shows in Florida in the 80's and 90's. He was an absolute encyclopedia of U-boat knowledge. I loved our gab sessions talking submarines.
Regarding the cameraman: This was the first look inside a WW2 German sub. Any picture of any electronics, machinery, documentation, gauges, pretty much anything inside that submarine that was not a kitchen sink (and I'm not sure about that one) had the potential to be an intelligence windfall. And if you're not sure you'll be able to keep a sub for more than a few minutes, you have to send that camera in the first wave.
Really.. mmmm Nope Royal Navy captured a U-570 a type VII uboat in 1941 and she was commisioned into the Royal Navy till Jun 1943 as HMS Graph
Signal Corps. If someone is sent in, Signal is already there. When all others leave, Signal is still there.
@Ryvaken that makes so much sense. And it WAS an intelligence windfall!
@@juju1896 Not for the reason most people think, ironically. The Enigma was nice to have, but several had already been captured. The code books gave the codebreakers a free ride for a few weeks, though.
@@Ryvakenagreed, those code books (designed to become pulp upon exposure to the sea) were the actual goldmine of UBoat capture.
I've lived in Chicagoland all my life, visited 505 on many occasions. Never knew the story. Thank you for this
The fact that we have a museum of ships that is only second in size to our active navy is just incredible!
If I remember correctly, there are 9 surviving battleships in the world and the US owns (and has kept afloat, mind you) 8 of them.
@@DrRussianand used a few during the Gulf War.
The Iowa class battleships originally built during WW2 had early 1980's designed UAV "pioneer" drones for observing/spotting shells from the 16" guns and targeting/damage reporting for the Tomahawk missiles on board during their 1980s refitting programs, which resulted in the first known time in human history of enemy combatants surrendering to an unmanned aerial drone that I'm aware of (pretty sure there is still video of this available)... You'd think maybe it would've been during the GWOT, or maybe while Turkish drones were harassing the Kurds, or even as late as videos from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, part 1 in 2014 or part 2 "3 days to take Kiev" in 2022 (It's still Kyiv btw 😉) But nope, it was in 1991 during the freaking Gulf War, to a pretty badass drone built in 1986 launched from an absolutely badass Iowa class Battleship, the USS Wisconsin 😎 🇺🇲 Saddam's guys just couldn't handle 16"... Except a few of the guys during downtime with the local livestock... Wait nevermind that livestock part was several years later, seen by drones in Afghanistan...My bad! 🤣
Yep!! AND...what is the world's largest Air Force? US Air Force. 2nd Largest? US Navy.
Don't mess with the US. MAGA
@@berryreading4809 I remember watching an IR footage from a drone during the Gulf War somewhere in UA-cam where one of the Wisconsin’s 16” shells sent a technical truck flying into the air like a punted football after its impact
As a retired sailor, I can say, with absolute certainty, that all of this is keeping with the greatest traditions of the Navy. One of our earliest heroes, John Paul Jones, acquired the British ship that sank his, as his was sinking.
I am still waiting on your take on the battle off Samar. I wonder what you would make of the displacement of the USS,Johnston and USS Samuel B Roberts, due to the sheer mass of their crews balls.
samar is intimidating one I really gotta get right
JPJ was one hell of a character for sure. The amount of fuckery that went on during that entire mission is hilarious
@@the_fat_electrician I look forward to it.
@@the_fat_electricianThat's what Admiral Kurita was probably thinking about Taffy 3.😅
Well, when those ships finally hit the ocean floor, their balls kept going and created the Phillpine Trench. 😅
My grandfather was part of the crew that boarded U-505 in 1944.
Every one of your presentations brings tears to my eyes . You are the best storyteller , period ! I wish public education taught History as entertaining as you do . We stole it , not giving it back
Anyone who has the opportunity to visit the Museum of Science and Industry will be awestruck at how a submarine is nestled into a building. It was my favorite thing to see as a child. The entire museum is wonderful.
Youre talking about portland right?
Chicago
They also have a sub at the math and science institute in Portland also.
It has been so long since I have been there. I should have gone back to it when I stayed with my family who lives near by.
Sucks that it is in Chicago.
It is fantastic, I hope to be able to take my son one day.
Fun fact: Not only can you see it, but also walk around inside and view its war materials in the museum its placed in.
I've toured the USS Requin in Pittsburgh, PA a few times, and I want to see this U-boat.
Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. We just toured the U505 this weekend. Super cool.
They didn't steal it, they captured it. Remember the war?
Legal theft
I prefer the stealing it version. 🤣
“Tactically Acquired”.
This video gave me the ONLY reason why I’d want to visit Chicago, to visit this submarine.
Yup. That’s EXACTLY what I thought. The only friggin 1!
American military logic in a nutshell:
Psychologist: “insane”
America: “challenge accepted”
Psychologist: “risk”
America: “try me”
Psychologist: “destruction”
America: “Tuesday afternoon”
Nah that last one is answered either "Yes." or "Proportional."
What’s actually most amazing is how this critically damaged U boat didn’t go to the bottom by the shear weight of our USN sailors balls of titanium. Great job as usual. Subbed.
Titanium is actually quite lightweight which is one reason why it’s so popular in aviation.
@@cruisinguy6024 it’s 10x the tensile density of steel which is also why it’s ideal for aircraft
@@jimreilly917 *angry DH-98 Mosquito noises*
@@CaesarShadowKnight 😁
Besides having the balls of titanium, the seamen applied a lot of the American know how to figure things out. In fact, a lot of success in the maintenance of US equipment during WWII was due to so many Americans being backyard mechanics, and had technical knowledge of the use of power tools and machinery. So training them was an easier short process. Japan lacked this basic resource so their out commission rate was much higher.
I went to both U-505 in Chicago and the USS Texas before I turned 13 in the 80s. I wish your videos had been featured on the tours so I could have comprehended the gangster shit that went down.
My father in law was one of the lead mechanical engineers that helped restart the engine on the U505 maybe 10-15 years ago. Pretty dope!
It simply amazes me the amount of courage and grit those sailors had just rowing up to a sinking U-Boat, let alone boarding her, full well knowing scuttling charges were armed! Being able to work in a proficient, safe manner finding the charges and then disarming them.... I am no expert on scuttling charges, and maybe it is not as complicated as it sounds, but damn that took some balls of steel!
I grew up near Chicago and visited the U505 (and watched the movie) more than once. My recollection is that the Germans didn’t didn’t set scuttling charges (thankfully), but unscrewed a scuttling “plug”, fairly large diameter. They were supposed to throw it overboard but in their haste just set it aside. Luckily the boarding party discovered it and was able to reinstall it. There was also a code book that had lead covers and was supposed to be thrown overboard and was overlooked. The Enigma was icing on the cake but the German code was already broken by the British at Bletchley Park. An incredible story. WWII truly brought out the best of America in so many ways.
It does take balls of steel. Scuttling charges are usually big enough to crack the hull from the inside. They are designed to kill everything, especially the submarine. The USS Laffy used one to send a train about 200 feet in the air. In addition, you are dead if you fail fairly instantly. For context, EOD techs are the modern version of this. An explosion this big is a "no equipment" situation. That doesn't mean it is small. In fact, it means the exact opposite: it is so large the equipment won't have an effect anyway so you might as well be comfortable.
@@bransonwalter5588 even the stuff theyre supposed to wear is just so they might have something to bury if things go south. it doesnt really save you, just tries to keep the meat bag in mostly 1 piece
America really said "I'll be taking that now"
yup lol
My dad was with that task group that captured the U505. He was aboard the Destroyer USS POPE, DE134.
I can remember how sad it was when U 505 was was just sitting outside the museum rusting away behind a chainlink fence and thought out of respect for the story and war heroes that captured it deserved a better fate. So I was relieved to finally see it restored and moved indoors for the proper display it deserved to show it to many future generations.
Towards the end of WW2 U boats were staffed with 18 y.o kids, an average age of a captain was 26. There is a book called “shadow divers” about a U boat that was found 70miles off the coast of New Jersey and there was no record of it ever being there so a couple of guys spent about 20 years diving there to identify what that boat was doing there. Book opens a good amount of information about U boats in general. Fascinating read, so is this story.
One of my Favorite Books!
The average age of a U-Boat seaman/rating was 18! And that’s the average!
U-boats were all over and in close to the East Coast. I think I read a U-boat had sailed quite a way up the St. Lawrence seaway. They took tons of picture of the East coast.
I read that book.
Great book!
I would love to see a video about the worlds first attack helicopter: The AH 1 cobra and its history. Thanks for all the great content!
That would be sick
Better yet, the first rescue by helicopter from the jungles of Burma. It took 2 days because it could only carry one pilot and one passenger.
YES!
Ahh yes, the first real attack whirlybird! Definitely worthy of a quack video..
🍻
Would be extra interested if the video includes the Iranian copies.
I just found your channel and am currently binging your content. I'm a huge history buff and Marine veteran. You have a gift for telling these stories and delivering information in such a way that keeps your listeners entertained the entire time. Your veteran antidotes are hilarious, something I've missed since being around these filthy civilian casuals. Please keep the amazing content and history coming.
I had a High school history teacher who was German born and had served in WWII, I recall his telling of this story with a lot of humour from the German Grunt perspective and it stuck with me to this day. Gotta say Nic, You are a national treasure mate.
Go find the book Steel Boat Iron Hearts by Hans Goebeler. If you liked his stories, you'll love this one.
As a former submariner, I feel I should somewhat defend the German submarine crew, when our guys were doing all that they, didn't have the threat of constant depth charging to worry about. I know, it's all in jest, but all submariners during ww2 had balls of steel.
Yeah there is a big difference between: evading capture of a submarine destroyer whilst in a damaged submarine vs saving a submarine with the help of a destroyer.
I had the privilege of seeing the U-boat 505 when I was a kid in Chicago. It’s a hell of a boat, and such an Incredible story. Hard to believe it’s like 40 almost 45 years ago since I’ve seen it but yeah, if you ever get a chance to see it you should definitely go and see it. Hats off to the greatest generation.
I had the honor of knowing Zenon Lachesis, the American who saved the submarine, as well as Hanse Geobler, the German who pulled the plug on it. We set up at a few military collector shows together about 25 years ago. We would hit the bars after the shows, and the conversations between the two were fun and off the scale. I remember Hanse telling Zenon, "If I knew you were crazy enough to board a sinking sub, I'd have thrown that sea-straining cap behind the batteries and you'd never have found it". Zenon replied with, "Well, lucky for me that you weren't that smart". It was great to know that former enemies could be good friends so many years later.
Visiting the U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry as an early teen is something I still remember. One of the events that encouraged my love of history.
Yes indeed, visited it many, many years ago. To me, it was the highlight of the museum. BTW, my uncle was with me at the time. He was infantry, who followed Patton's tanks through Europe. What a guy he was. He met Patton, said he was every bit the badass the movie portrayed him to be.
You’ve found a great niche here on UA-cam. These interesting military history anecdotes are fascinating and your delivery is hilarious. Keep it up good sir
thank you!!
I have been inside that submarine at the museum in Chicago when I was a kid back in the seventies and had no idea of the significance and the history behind that until now , holy cow what a story. I love how you deliver your stories keep up the good work my friend
Just love your historical informational format
If you want to know more about Admiral Gallery, he penned numerous books that, hilariously, told of life in the US Navy like, "Capt. Fatso", "Awaaaay All Boats", and "Clear All Decks".
He, also, wrote a novel about the comandeering of the U505.
He was a badass Sailor with a....unique personality and view on the world.
Ah, you beat me to it. I have two of his books, Now Hear This and Stand By-y-y To Start Engines. Damned funny stuff.
Hell of a way to console an enemy commander who's in deep shit.
Bad guy: "Oh shit, my chain of command is going to do things that are absolutely illegal to me for a failure like this!"
American: "Don't worry. No one will torture/execute you because there won't be any chain of command."
Bad guy: "What?"
This story is so hilarious. Thanks.
Okay of all the things in this that shocked me it was Nemo. Now knowing what it means changes 'Finding Nemo'. Now I will always see it as 'Finding No One'. That aside this was impressive.
The best part about this story is after his distinguished military career Daniel Gallery went on to write two comedic novels inspired by his military service. “Now Hear This” and “All Hands on Deck.” I don’t believe they’re currently in print but if you can find them they are hilarious.
I just found your channel. Your passion, humor, and pride for our country is beyond belief. Thank you for producing the content.
I love the way you tell stories. Its so crazy these things actually happened. I have burst out laughing more then once watching your stuff. The complete hold my beer attitude of these men haha
Loving the long form. Much more room for better joke set ups
And that you're going into detail is good too. Almost as good as Warwood Tools
I guarantee the guy who thought about unhooking the propeller shaft from the engine had adhd. Only someone with that level of quicknthinking and craziness would come up with a solution that fast. Awesome men.
incredible thinking lol
I have adhd. I can spot that kind of thinking and action a mile away. It's the only reason he was calm in a sinking U-boat and still getting it. Lol great men indeed.
@@the_fat_electrician it was probably a Chief Petty Officer, like the one on the Texas !
The moment he was explaining it my mechanic brain was thinking, "well ya got it moving.....slam it in gear and pop the clutch" 😂😂😂😂😂 damn near same principle
Funny thing is, I have ADHD and as he was talking about towing and the batteries and how they only had lights I thought “hey if it moves, it will spin the propeller and that should give energy, right?”
Thank you for this amazing story! I grew up in Chicago in the 60’s, and almost every year in school we would take a field trip to the museum. In those days you couldn’t walk around the outside, just into a small room. I never knew this whole story, and I was always fascinated with how they got it to the museum location. I no longer live in Chicago, but I hope to go back and see the updated display that you show in your video.
Holy crap! I toured that sub as a kid in Chicago and was far too young to understand its significance until now! Thank you for this
It is awesome to go see it and go inside. It’s also got the enigma machine that they acquired.
that's awesome
@@the_fat_electrician dope as fuck museum. Like I’m a history major so I go to every one I can and the museum of science and industry is like my top 10 if I remember right it’s also got a steam locomotive.
This is how the Brits got an Enigma in 1940, too. That U-Boat sank in rough seas, but the point stands, and they kept the Enigma.
@@theabomb8305 Only problem is that museum is in Chicago. That city is a warzone all by itself nowdays.
@@adamsears1403 I would love to go back anyways
You know you've failed when you can't sink your own submarine.
Meanwhile we'll partially sink our own battleship just to get some extra range to yeet more spicy Volvos.
Bruh
Yeah, IN THE OCEAN
One of the German crew actually visited the 505 and praised the USA for preserving his boat. Much respect
Brilliant. Former Navy myself. Royal New Zealand Navy. Though we aren’t on the same scale as the US navy especially for their size & might. We did exercise regularly with the US. As a ping jockey I was able to spend time on HMAS Onslow & Australian Oberon class Submarine.
I had the privilege of visiting a few US ships including USA Missouri of course. That was a must. Lots of stories & adventures myself but nothing like this.
This is one of the most daring & incredible stories of epic proportions.
Go Navy!!
Thank you for your service.
Been in the thing at least a half dozen times when I was a kid. Never cared to read the boards on the wall about the story, just thought it was cool. This was a much better way to learn the history. Keep up the good work!
I love the way you put these stories.
The U-505 legit got me into studying military history as a kid. That line of interest led me to earn two degrees.
Sparky, thank you again for extolling the virtues of Warwood tools. This native son of Wheeling thanks you.
I was born in Wheeling and graduated HS in Wheeling after being in 3 different states and 10 different schools. I now live a couple miles from the museum on the Southside.
Love seeing the U-505 making an appearance on your channel! I worked as MSI's curatorial intern during the summer of '21. They knew I was a military history buff right off the bat and let me get hands on U-505 both inside and out in the archives. One of the documents I came across during digitalization was the literal deed of ownership from the US Navy to MSI.
On my last day I got to take my family through on a private tour with the Director of my department.
A great story I came across through older staff (and more corroborative documents) was that one of her former crew Hans Goebeler, author of "Steel Boats, Iron Hearts" gave tours of his boats to guests in the 70s and 80s! I can barely imagine getting a tour of a U-Boat by one of her crewmen.
She also has all four original flags (two large sailing flags and two battle ensigns), which I got to take out one of sailing flags to confirm it was. Someone had emailed the Director that they thought they had one of U-505's Reichskriegsflagge because it had Hans signature on it. I had written to let the collector know that it wasn't one of U-505s real flags as they are all accounted for (MSI has two, and the other two are with the US Navy, one of the battle ensigns om exhibit at Annapolis. The collector had a legitimately real Reichskriegsflagge but either from Army or Civilian use. Someone before they collector had gotten the flag and asked Hans to sign it. I still don't know if the collector sold it. Just to cover my bases I contacted the German Naval Museum and the curator there told me along the lines of "I asked a friend of mine who was a Submarine captain in the 80s and he said they still get issued four flags, two sailing and two battle ensigns." SOP is one of those things that never changes lol.
One last little story I have to share is regarding their time in Camp Ruston where the US overlooked the Geneva Convention rules due to the fact the sub was captured whole, including the enigma machines on board. The scuttling was reversed nearly at the last the second by US sailors. The government didn't want the Kriegsmarine to know they knew the codes so everything was super secret. Meaning, the sailors were kept in their own section of Ruston, LA and hidden when the Red Cross showed up. So these guys were desperate to let other Getman POWs know they were alive to let their families know they were still kicking. No attempt really worked, but the U-505 boys made a make shift balloon and painted a black iron cross on it with the bold words that "U-505 lives!"
The story of the capture is amazing as Quack Bang has shown us. Hans' book is a great read if you're interested in the Enlisted Man's experiance as a unterboatman.
If you're ever planning a trip to MSI email the Collections department and ask if you can get a private tour of the Archives. We had maybe less than 10% of the collection on exhibit... there are over 10k artifacts at MSI! I got to take parties through the archives and based on what they were interested in tailored the tour around that. Some of my favorites are: the Dragon head and tail of the Norwegian Longship "Viking" that sailed from Norway to Chicago to prove the Vikings made it to the new world for the 1893 Columbian Exposition World's Fair, Lewis guns as part of the Spitfire and Stuka gifted by the UK (from the Africa Campaign), a insane collection of multi-million motorcycles (most being the very first of their kind!), some Civil War Era Fire Engines, one of the first armored vehicles in America (from St. John's Academy), a Soviet space probe (likely surveillance satellite, Roscosmos never got me to confirm that before my contract was up), not only 1893 World's Fair stuff but tons from the 1933 World's Fair Century of Progress with medals and models the Regia Aeronautica's massive seaplane flight over (that carried the column from the ancient Roman Port city thay linked Rome to the wider world, Ostia. It's still up on Balbo Ave by Soldier Field. Oldest artifact on public display in the city. It needs restoration badly). I can go on! Just make sure you see it next you're in the Museum! Collections is hidden in the old US Navy department right by the U-505. Infact my adhoc office was inside the mockup of the nuclear submarine and outside my office were no less than FIVE WWII torpedoes!
Damn son
great story thanks for sharing actually went and saw that boat four years ago fascinating
welp, add that to the bucketlist
I've been to msi twice but both times too late to snag a tour.
Well I definitely know where I’m going when I visit Chicago
I remember seeing this as a kid. It was massive as you walked up to it, and yet the inside was so cramped. this was the early 90s, and you could still walk around inside.
We know that trick too “What do you call the only A7V Tank in the world…Australian!” 0:05
I have been inside that U-Boat, its pretty awe inspiring and sick. Sadly, some parts of the ship are in, suboptimal conditions, and are now blocked off due to safety concerns. Basically, some of the metal and wood floors are corroded badly and they are worried people will step right through them and get injured. Hopefully one day, they get the entire sub available for the public, would be pretty sick.
I mean considering it spent DECADES outside in the Chicago climate just naked in a ‘dry dock’ enduring the seasons. I spent many a day in my youth when we visited the MSI touring the sub. I’m so glad it was moved indoors so that my children,grandchildren and future generations can witness its majestic haunting beauty as I did as a child.
@chuckwhitney6864 I went on a field trip in grade school in the mid 70's to the museum. went on a tour of the sub and I think it was still outside.
I first remember seeing the submarine in the late 60s on a grade school field trip. It was outside the museum but was connected through hallways. A few years ago when I was back in Chicago I went back with my family. The U-505 now has its own underground gallery protected from the elements. One of the interesting things you see when you get on the submarine is the difference in the thickness of the hull from the outer hull to the inner home. The outer hull was exposed to the weather, and had corroded and rusted until it was less than half It’s original thickness. The inner hull is still the same thickness as it was when it was built. When you realize the size of the crew, and how small the inside of the submarine was, it’s amazing they could even live and work in those conditions.
Definitely recommend taking the trip to the Museum of Science and Industry! The sub is truly a great exhibit even with parts closed off. Thanks for doing this video!
Years ago, I read Gallery's book about the capture of U-505. It's a good read and really highlights how difficult and dangerous it was to be a naval aviator. Escort carriers were pretty small and a huge number of planes were lost, especially during night operations. Those guys definitely didn't get the notice that the guys in the Pacific did.
It still is dangerous and they censor a lot of losses. You should check out F-14 losses during the 1990s
He has several books and is in general pretty funny in his writings, especially the fiction
Hans Goebeler, one of the German crewman, wrote a book about the Uboat and its capture also, Steel Boat, Iron hearts, said it was a good book but he hated Galleries conclusion that the crew had low morale do to the suicide of the previous commander, his book said that almost the whole crew hated that captain.
My grandpa was on the jenks and always said Gallery almost cost them the mission because he was too concerned with which ship the Germans surrendered too. So even though 2 ships where close and all had boarding parties they waited for the boarding party from his ship and it took an extra several minutes for the boats to get in position.
Love your stuff man! Your sense of humor is great!
I actually went to that u-boat once, and it was pretty cool. They’re bigger on the inside than I thought they were
Here's a fact that you, a true American Laborer will appreciate.
All the guys from the local Chicago unions who helped put the 505 in her current home got hard hat stickers of her. I met one of the crane operators at a union picnic and he's very proud of that sticker
Edit: checked with my father, he was an iron worker
What iron worker union was your father from?
@@ZackarySchejbalCODBO2RGM2 my father isn't an iron worker. He's IUOE. I just met the gentleman briefly some 10 years ago so my memory isn't very helpful
If anyone hasn't had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago - it's worth the trip. Been several times. The U-505 exhibit is easily one of the most impressive exhibits of any museum I've seen.
I went through it around 1966 as a kid. You could look through the periscope and see ships on the lake. The tour was awesome and then many years later I got to meet Hans Goebler at two different times about a year or two before he passed. I heard his stories and saw the pictures and logs of the captains of U-boat 505. He had moved to the U.S. after the war and he still had his fairly thick German accent. They were awesome experiences!
As a member of the Museum Ship Mafia, the end line makes me really proud and we are incredibly grateful that U-505 is among the many museum ships in the US that can be visited
I spent Christmas time when growing up touring the Museum of Science and Industry, and I always went to go check on the submarine. It really is an incredible piece of history, and it was awesome when they updated the exhibit to have more backstory and context that you actually go over in this video.
The reason I went during christmas is because my mother headed up the Polish Christmas tree that goes on display during the holdiays. She’s the reason the ornaments changed every year, and subsequently why all the other christmas trees look better and fancier because they don’t want to look pathetic in contrast, and she’s also the reason that most of the ornaments on all the trees are wire-tightened onto the branches so that viewers can’t grab the decorations off. People were literally stealing ornaments, some of which were candies, because my mom is a gangster christmas tree decorator.
The Christmas tree displays were awesome to look at when I had went there for a school field trip in 1984. Each one decorated for a different country.
@@rtm27 she took over in 2003, the trees before then were bland compared to now. We were reusing the same ornaments for probably 2 decades until my mom decided to make them different EVERY year.
You did a better job then the museum did to tell the story about it. Keep up to amazing work
Thank you so much!
@@the_fat_electrician I had a German friend in HS named Kaegebein in Chicago. He was a navy corpsman and made us watch a lot of Das Boot. We went to das boot a few times.
Absolutely 100% agree. If your commentary was done, minus the naughty words of course to protect the sensitive ears, FAR more children would get History. You have to make it FUN!!!!
@@raywellsworkthey're gonna learn the words at some point, and obscenity and vulgarity are a big part of our military history lol
@@ShiroiKiba I agree and my kids were watching this sort of stuff at 13. Problem is I think most parents of 8 to 12 year olds would have problems with their kid watching videos with the word "Fuck" liberally sprinkled through it.
Its amazing to see in person, highly recommend seeing
That American commander had the funniest looking ears I've ever seen.
The Enigma machine was certainly a good find, but by that point, the Alies had already broken the code and been listening in. U-505 wasn't even the only UBoat captured during the war. It was still an impressive story, along with what happened while they were restoring it. They got many of the original equipment manufacturers in Germany to help with restoring it.
Came here to say this about the Enigma code
And because of this, Admiral King was more pissed off than usual.
Yes, but having the up-to-date codes was extremely important. Perhaps more important than the machine.
@@stischer47 Not to mention that it still had to be top secret because if the Germans knew that we had not only captured a complete Enigma machine with the codebooks (which they would certainly see as probable) but their entire submarine (which would almost guarantee their suspicions), they could still change the design for enigma and render all german communicaitons unreadable. Granted, this was at the ass end of the war, but another thing not mentioned here is that only a very very small percentage of allied command even knew that we were reading and acting upon german communications, which were seen by most of the world as unreadable (I would go as far to say that most allied sailors who captured an enigma machine and codebook intact didn't really (and I do mean REALLY) know how valuable that information even was). So AFTER the war, when we gave out enigma machines to neutral countries like Argentina, Venezuela, Kenya, and India (to provide an example), we were essentially giving them machines that they thought as unbreakable but we could read incredibly easily, thus allowing what is possibly the greatest intelligence coup of the entire 20th century. The implications of this essentially meant that for the majority of the countries that relied on enigma machines or something similar enough for diplomatic cables and military transmissions, we (meaning the British and the Americans) were reading them as if they were unencrypted, part of the reason why nobody knew about Blechley park and what work they did there until the late 1970's when most countries moved away from mechanical polyalphabetic cyphers like the enigma machine to actual (albeit very early) computers.
@@stischer47 They added rotors to the machines during the course of the war. The naval Enigmas had the most rotors. Adding even a single rotor made the encryption vastly more difficult to break.