Amazing

[Lance Dean]

This submarine...er U-boat is amazing.  It's the only U-boat in the USA and the fact that it's INDOORS!  This is a must see for me someday.

Unfortunately, they don't allow cameras inside of the boat.  There are some photos out there, but legally I suppose there shouldn't be.  I'm attaching an exterior shot in case you've never looked at this amazing thing. 

[Fred Tannenbaum]

It IS amazing! I was there within a month of the new exhibit opening and it was fantastic. My son, then 10, loved the hands-on, interactive exhibits that surround it, dealing with everything from using a periscope and codebreaking to buoyancy. And of course, seeing a 252-foot-long submarine indoors.

I gave tours on the U-505 in the late 1970s and early 1980s and thought the changes to the tour to stress the drama of the capture was excellent. It's not just about how the thing works but how the men lived and nearly died.

The U-505 is a must-see for any sub fan.

[Bill Wasil]

Lance,

My uncle took me to see the U-505 back in the day when it was still outside.  I loved the look and feel.  My uncle, however, found out he was claustrophobic and had to leave.  This boat and seeing Run Silent, Run Deep and Operation Petticoat made me want to be a submariner.

Bill

[JTheotonio]

Why the restriction of pictures inside the boat?  Nothing can be top secret now and if they are only trying to preserve the colors - then no flash allowed.  With today's digitals you can take pictures anywhere without harming delicate colors.

I got to see this one...

[Lance Dean]

Only thing I can figure about the no photos inside is that they want more people to visit and not just see it online.

[JTheotonio]

Pictures never stopped me from going to see myself...duh!

[Bill Wasil]

Only thing I can figure about the no photos inside is that they want more people to visit and not just see it online.

Being there is not the same as looking at photos of the U-505.  You get a sense of feeling the energy and "personality" left behind.

[Paul Farace]

Two general reasons most museums prohibit photography of exhibits like this:

1.  They don't want to clog the visitor flow that SOME numbskulls with cameras would create (think some dumbass with a TRIPOD who had to make 200 exposures per compartment... seen it on COD a few times -- only bitched about the tripod, we don't have the numbers U-505 would have).

2. They want to sell DVDs, picture/tour books of the display themselves and don't want some hacker to do a crappy job themselves and publish it later. Can't blame anyone for wanting to protect their "restoration" work.

[FER]

Are there any other submarine museums that prohibit photography inside the boat? There were signs saying photography was prohibited aboard Cobia up in Manitowoc, but the tour guide specifically announced that photography was permitted.

-FER

[Bill Wasil]

Are there any other submarine museums that prohibit photography inside the boat? There were signs saying photography was prohibited aboard Cobia up in Manitowoc, but the tour guide specifically announced that photography was permitted.

-FER

I got to visit the USS Dolphin and the Russian boat B-39 in San Diego.  You were allowed to take as many pictures as you wanted.  One drawback was that there were no mentors available to ask questions and there were minimal signs explaining what you were looking at.  The only thing that hampered me with the picture taking was the people behind me wanting to move along.

[Lance Dean]

I don't know of any others that prohibit photo taking.  I found this out when I worked on the museum submarine presentation for the USSVI convention last year.  It was hard to get photos of the U-505.

[FER]

I found an eight-minute video of a tour aboard U-505.

I am hoping to visit U-505 myself in the next few days. I've never been inside this one though I've seen it up close both in its present indoor setting and years ago when it was outside.

There are loads of good sub videos on youtube.com for example this nifty advertisement for the Scorpene class. Makes me want one... heck, I'll buy two.

-FER

[Mark Sarsfield]

I don't understand the "no photography" rule.  It's not like it's an old, wool civil war uniform that will deteriorate from flashes and bright lights.  I think letting people take pictures is good and free PR.  Makes others want to see the exhibit themselves.  Pictures are never a replacement for actually being there... and working and sleeping on one is even more fun than visiting.

[Jim]

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.   

[Mark Sarsfield]

Agreed.  Our boats and ships are rotting away before our very eyes, yet we cherish one of Hitler's war machines enough to give it its own bunker.  Nice.