On June 4, 1944, the carrier USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) was sailing in the Atlantic, 150 miles off the coast of Rio De Oro in the Western Sahara, Africa. The carrier was part of a specific group along with five destroyers designed to hunt down and sink German submarines. Suddenly, they picked up sonar bearings of the U-505 and commenced depth charges. The sub's commander ordered his crew to abandon ship due to the severe damages and his belief they were about to sink. However, an American LTjg jumped on the sinking sub and took measures to keep her afloat (received the Medal of Honor). Due to his courageous act, the American intelligence recovered extremely valuable classified publications, code books, an Enigma cipher decoder machine with up-to-date cipher rotors, and other secret communications equipment. The submarine was towed in secret to make the Germans think that it had been sunk and its crew were sent to the POW camp at Camp Ruston, near Ruston, Louisiana.
As it turned out, the U-505 already had a relationship with Pensacola through the commander of the Guadalcanal's task force. Captain Daniel Vincent Gallery Jr. (1901-1977) graduated from Annapolis in 1920 and entered the Navy's flight program at Pensacola before returning as a flight instructor. In 1927, he is listed in the City Directory as a Lieutenant at building #239, Room 47. Two years later, he married Vera Lee Dunn (1902-2000), who became the first female US Marshal. After leaving Pensacola he went on to a distinguished twenty-year naval career, retiring on October 1, 1960.
However, the U-505 was not finished with Pensacola yet and oddly enough would visit our Gulf Coast city in 1945. But first came the USS Guadalcanal, who sailed into Pensacola Bay in October 1945 to assist our city in celebrating "Navy Day" on the 27th. This date was picked to honor the birthday of our 26th President Theodore Roosevelt who was a naval enthusiast and former assistant Secretary of the Navy. The famous carrier docked at the Frisco Wharf and was opened to the public for visitation. Then came the U-505 that was already sailing for Pensacola to join the very carrier that brought about her demise. The purpose of the subs visit was to promote the sale of "Victory Bonds," which were debt securities issued by the government to finance military operations and other wartime expenditures. These bonds were sold directly to the public but by December 2nd, Pensacola had reached only one-third of the county's goal of $1,166,000. To stimulate an interest in donating, the committee reminded Pensacolians that ONLY those who bought an $18.75 bond would be allowed to board the famous submarine after its arrival.
The U-505 sailed into Pensacola Bay on December 13, 1945 with eight members of the junior chamber of commerce onboard as she tied up to the Commendencia Street Wharf. By that time, over 8,000 tickets had been sold in advance bringing the total collection to $1,167,401.
The U-505 was eventually place in the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, where the boat was painstakingly restored. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989 and is one of only two Type IXC U-boats still in existence.
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