The U-505 is a German submarine that was a part of the German Kriegsmarine (Navy) during World War II. On June 12, 1940, the Deutsche Werft AG in Hamburg began designs and construction on this Type IXC submarine. It measures 252 feet in length and is 31 feet, 6 inches at its greatest height. The U-505 was powered by two nine-cylinder diesel engines when surfaced, allowing it to reach a maximum speed of 19 knots and cover a distance of 13,450 nautical miles. When submerged, it ran on two electric motors and could achieve a top speed of 7.5 knots and a range of 63 nautical miles. There were four torpedo tubes in the bow and two torpedo tubes in the stern with a total of 22 torpedoes on board. The sub carried a crew of 48 submariners, but with the addition of anti-aircraft guns in 1943, the number of the crew was raised to 59.

The U-505 began its first patrol on January 19, 1942, sailing from Germany, to Lorient, France, where Germans used submarine pens from which to repair and launch their submarines. The second patrol began on February 11, 1942. During this patrol, the U-505 sank four ships: the British ship Benmohr, the Norwegian Sydhav, the American cargo ship West Irmo, and the Dutch Alphacca. During its third patrol which began on June 7, 1942, it sank three more ships, the American ships Sea Thrush and Thomas McKean, as well as a Colombian diplomatic ship, Urious. Traveling to South America for its fourth patrol starting October 4, 1942, it sank the British vessel Ocean Justice. It was during this patrol that the sub was attacked by the Royal Air Force's 53rd Squadron. The British Hudson aircraft caused serious damage to the sub but was hit by shrapnel from the sub which caused the airplane to crash in the ocean killing Sergeant Ronald Sillcock and his entire crew. Although the U-505 was severely damaged in the attack, the crew was able to repair the sub to sail it back to Lorient under its own power.