On the final leg of our tour, we drove through Chicago and had to stop at the Chicago Museum of Science and Technology. Specifically, we had to see the U-505 U-boat! Another piece of WWII technology that was a must see for me. I have seen plenty of US subs in various US museums outside, but this was the first U-boat I was able to crawl through that was located inside a building!
The museum itself is located in the northern part of the city in the famous Hide Park area. Parking is a little confusing at first, but quite plentiful. The museum is set up as a full interactive experience, with a clear intent to keep kids interested in the displays. We checked out some of the highlights and I partially liked the navel model museum section. With that said, our mission was the U-505.
As part of the entrance fee, you can add a tour of the inside of the submarine. We opted for that option and made sure we got to the sub in time of the tour. The entire submarine is located within the museum. There is actually a nice section that shows how they build the structure and moved the sub inside. Frankly, I thought is was still outside, so a very pleasant surprise. You can walk around the sub and see various displays about the U-Boat and its story.
The tour lines up at the front of boat and there is a cut out to enter the forward section behind the forward torpedo room. We were lucky, as the group we were part of only had five people, so it was very easy for me to take pictures (and hand out at the rear to make that easy). Seems a mid week visit is the way to go!
The sub is almost completely restored. You go through each section, until you get the section right before the rear torpedo room. Along the way, you get a clear view of the ship and how the crew would have lived in it. The guide gives you the background of each section and even adds some interactive features using piped in sound and lighting effects.
Another must see location, if you are into WWII equipment! I stopped at a few other spots along the way, but this was the last of the gaming related history locations, so I guess I have to get back to hobby and gaming posts now!
- Manteuffel