The U505 Makes Another Journey, this one to a Safer
Harbor in the Museum of Science and Industry, protected
from the Harsh Elements of  the Seasonal Changes in
Chicago.

The U505 in Lake Michigan being escorted by local
pleasure craft. (after WWII)
photo courtesy MSI archives

The U505 in the Locks of the Saint Lawrence Seaway
photo courtesy MSI archives
 
 

The American Flag Salutes the Brave Men Who Captured the U505 and from the German War Machine © Oak Park Journal photo A Last Look at the Sky for this Submarine, she will soon be Sub-terrestrial. © Oak Park Journal photo History will be preserved by her move to a controlled climate display area. © Oak Park Journal photo A Solemn moment for all and thanks to the Armed Services for all their sacrifice. © Oak Park Journal photo Some of the fine young men who helped the war effort greatly by capturing the U505 and a secret Code Machine (Enigma). Names from L-R: GM1 c Chester A. Mocarski, Em2c William R. Riendeau CMM George W. Jacobson, MOMMIcZenon B. Lukosius SM2c Gordon F. Hohne, BM2cWayne M. Pickels Jr  RM2c Stanley E. Wdowiak, TM2c Arthur W. Knispel photo courtesy MSI archives   The Same Young men with a few more years and their fine work saved many lives on both sides of the war. © Oak Park Journal photo Mayor Daley signs the awards given to the men from WWII. © Oak Park Journal photo   Two Civilian women toast the moving of the submarine to its new location. © Oak Park Journal photo The bottles are broken and the move starts. © Oak Park Journal photo Mayor Daley enjoys the view of all the hard work done on the job. © Oak Park Journal photo © Oak Park Journal photo The Plan being held by these engineers shows how the U505 is set to be lowered into it climate controlled area using hydraulic lifters, that in this case will be lowering the sub in its new nest. © Oak Park Journal photo It was a beautiful morning and lots of Good News for the future of  the U505 © Oak Park Journal photo  AFTER 50 YEARS, U-505 MAKES FINAL VOYAGE Public Invited to View Historic Submarine Relocation by Museum       CHICAGO (April 5, 2004) - Parallel parking and three-point turns with small cars can be quite difficult for motorists in the city of Chicago, so imagine trying to do it with an approximately 700-ton, 252 foot sub.  That's exactly what the public will see the Museum of Science and  Industry do with the historic U-505 submarine. Beginning Thursday,  April 8, the Museum will move the U-505 from its outdoor home into an underground, climate-controlled, space to preserve the sub and showcase it in a  dramatic new exhibit, scheduled to open in 2005.        ABOUT THE MOVE The Museum will commence the U-505 move during a ceremony on Thursday, with special guests,  including four WWII veterans that  assisted in the sub's capture in 1944, Commander Craig Selbrede of the U.S. Navy and the Great Lakes Naval Band. The launch will  begin a two-to-three-week move  process where guests will be able to  see the U-505 navigate tight turns and steer around the Henry Crown Space Center to the front of the Museum. "Thousands of Chicagoans saw the U-505 make its legendary trek across Lake Shore Drive in 1954 and we want to make certain that the public will have the opportunity to see the U-505 make an  equally historic trip to its new home," says Museum president and CEO David Mosena. "Guests  will have the chance to see science and technology in action and be a part of an undeniably, once-in-a- lifetime experience." Throughout the past several weeks, NORSAR Services Inc., an engineered transport and lifting company that specializes in moving massive industrial and marine objects, has worked to ensure a successful move. "Our crews have mapped out every angle and square foot that this sub will maneuver over the course of several weeks," says Ralph DiCaprio, vice president of operations for NORSAR. "This is a sophisticated and delicate move that requires science, technology and       ingenuity." For example, the team cut away concrete supports that have held the sub in place for nearly 50 years,  leveled all pathways that the  sub will travel so it will not have to scale curbs, built towers in the below-ground exhibit hall that will be used to lower the sub, as well as  used hydraulic jacks to raise  the sub 5 feet in the air to place it onto 18 dollies. Over several days, the team will guide the U-505 approximately 1,000 feet and lower it to its new home—a 75 x 300-foot, 42-foot deep underground exhibit hall. Beginning Thursday, the boat will travel south approximately 150-200 feet, where it will make a series of turns to position it south of the Henry Crown Space Center and perpendicular to Lake Michigan. On day two, the boat will then travel east and make another series of turns to face north, parallel to the entrance of the Space Center and Lake Michigan. The next move will be into the exhibit hall construction area where it will come - to  rest, north of the Museum's east pavilion, for approximately one week. The sub will travel on 18 self-powered dollies guided by remote control, allowing the team to maneuver the sub given its confined quarters. The dollies are a tried and proven system for moving large loads. Each dolly can handle 50 tons and is equipped with a hydraulic jack. The hydraulic jacks are interconnected to ensure the load is evenly distributed, eliminating the possibility of overloading any one point of the structure. The U-505's four-story descent to its new exhibit space is currently planned for April 21-22, and will begin by transferring the sub's weight to a skidding system consisting of eight skid beams, each supplied with a 150-ton jack. Eight super shoring towers will be installed inside the underground exhibit hall to support bridges under the skid system and allow lowering of the sub. The sub will be skidded across the bridges and positioned in the center of the site. The bridges spanning from the towers on each side of the hall will be used as lifting beams to lower the sub into the site. Then, beams  supporting the bridges will be removed and the sub will be lowered to the bottom of the hall with the rod lifting system. Once the sub is at the bottom of the hall, the bridges will be removed and the sub will be jacked down to skid beams sitting in the skid track on the hall's floor.  The sub will be rotated to its final location above the inner pit. MOVE PREPARATION In addition to work done around the perimeter of the U-505, the team has physically reinforced the sub to survive the move. "Submarines built in World War II had an average life expectancy of four to five years. The U-505 surpassed that time by nearly 60 years, even as it sat outside in Chicago's extreme temperatures where it suffered from corrosion and  rust. The Museum has taken great care of the sub during that time to ensure its survival," says Ed McDonald, director of exhibit projects for  the Museum. "We've worked for the past two years to make certain that the U-505 would be structurally sound for this move." Specifically, structural engineers used computer models to simulate the relocation, each time using different configurations of the cradles that would support the boat during the move. The comprehensive analysis concluded that it would take four cradles, plus special reinforcement, to safely guide the U-505 to its new home. ABOUT THE U-505 AND NEW EXHIBIT US Naval Captain Daniel Gallery of the USS Guadalcanal Task Force 22.3 and his crew captured the U-505 on June 4, 1944 off the West coast  of Africa. The U-505 is the only foreign enemy man-of-war boarded and captured on the high seas by the United States Navy since 1815. It is the only maritime vessel of its type on display in the United States and will be the first to be moved indoors. The remaining four U-boats in the world are outdoors in Germany and England. In 1997, Museum officials launched plans to restore and relocate the U-505. The $35 million project ' is the largest fund-raising initiative ever undertaken by the Museum for a single exhibit project. "The Museum is fully committed to preserving and restoring this rare piece of history to ensure its survival," said Keith Gill, U-505 and transportation curator. "Future generations with little knowledge ofWWII will leam the powerful story behind the U-505, as told by the men who where instrumental in its capture." The restored and relocated sub will be the centerpiece of the new U-505 experience, an exhibit that will immerse visitors in the dramatic story of the search for and heroic capture of the U-505. Guests of the new U-505 experience will not only be able to tour the inside of the boat, but have  the opportunity to see a sweeping view of it and see the real torpedoes, torpedo shafts and periscopes up close for the first time. The new display will accommodate more than 1 guests million annually. Lohan Caprile Goettsch Architects of Chicago designed the new underground exhibit space. W.E. O'Neil Construction is the general contractor. Jones Lang LaSalle is the Museum's project manager overseeing all aspects of the project. ABOUT THE MUSEUM The Museum is no stranger to extraordinary moves. In 1954, crowds gathered to watch crews slowly inch the U-505 from the shore of Lake Michigan across Lake Shore Drive to the Museum. In 1986, the Museum carefully lowered the Apollo 8 through the ceiling of the Henry Crown Space Center. And in 1992, several exterior columns and a wall in the Museum's West Court were removed and a Boeing 727 was hauled in piece-by-piece before being reassembled and cantilevered to the Museum's balcony. The restored 999 locomotive made its way in at the same time. Five years later, in 1997, the Museum brought the Pioneer Zephyr train indoors. The Museum of Science and Industry's mission is to inspire the inventive genius in everyone by presenting captivating and compelling experiences that are real and educational. Located at 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, just minutes from downtown Chicago, the Museum is open every day of the year except December 25.    Click Here to go the Museum of Science and Industry Site for a lot of fun and informative material on the U505l More to come stay tuned......