Amazing

[Fred Tannenbaum]

Sorry guys, but the reason a former enemy submarine is restored and in its own "bunker" surrounded by awesome interactive exhibits is because the Museum of Science & Industry had the vision and financial wherewithal and elbow grease to raise the $35 million needed to do this.

How many other museum submarines have these skills? Few. How many have endowments? How many have an organization that would attract such donations?

[Evil Tracey of Torsk]

What's really amazing is that we'll spend this much time and money on a German boat we captured (not even ours) to bring it to the standards it is, and barely any on our own.   

It's FAR more rare than our fleetboats on display.

Sometimes, that supply and demand thing bites you in the butt.

[Jim]

it's not the rarity its the absurdity.  Fleet boats are US science and history.  Ours rust into oblivion with incorrect parts and fake this and that.  The U-boat is completely restored with new parts the Germans donated.  It will be encased and preserved and ours will be barnacle or rust encrusted.  That's just wrong. They could have put a fleet boat in there.

[Fred Tannenbaum]

Again, a fleet boat museum sub will be barnacle and rust encrusted only as long as its management is satisfied with its condition and not motivated to raise money for its preservation and improvement.

And the reason the U-505 is where it is, is because the Navy Captain to planned its capture is from Chicago and helped raise money to get it there nearly 60 years ago.

[Evil Tracey of Torsk]

it's not the rarity its the absurdity.  Fleet boats are US science and history.  Ours rust into oblivion with incorrect parts and fake this and that.  The U-boat is completely restored with new parts the Germans donated.  It will be encased and preserved and ours will be barnacle or rust encrusted.  That's just wrong. They could have put a fleet boat in there.

It is the large number of fleetboats that makes them less valuable.   Something that is everybody's responsibility is no one's responsibility.  There's one U-505 in one museum and if that one isn't preserved, it's gone.  CLAMAGORE is scrapped?  No problemmo - plenty more subs like that.

Yes, that's the attitude.  I don't agree with it, but it's a natural response. 

I live in hope that the sub force museum in Groton will get CUTLASS back from Taiwan.

[Fred Tannenbaum]

I respectfully disagree. The large number of fleet boats doesn't drive away donations and support. How many donations and support a museum sub gets is ENTIRELY dependent on its MANAGEMENT. How well do they run things to make their ship attractive to potential donors? How aggressively do they go out into the community soliciting donations? One fleet boat is hours away from another so its not like any are competing for donations in the same region.

The U-505 is where she is and displayed the way she is because the Museum of Science & Industry is a known, respected quantity in its region if not the country. Its board members are aggressive in generating support, especially among large corporations and foundations. Any fleet sub museum can do the same but it takes time, clean financial books and a lot of handshakes.

 

[nomad66]

I've toured the U-505 many times years ago before it was moved inside the new facility. I will try to get over there again to see it again and what has changed.