ONE can only imagine what Bermudians must have thought when on June 19, 1944 they watched as an American boat towed a German submarine into the Great Sound.

The U-505, captured by the Americans off the coast of Africa two weeks before, was towed more than 1,000 miles to Bermuda to keep it, and the secret codebooks discovered onboard, out of enemy hands.

That historic capture of an enemy vessel, the first for the United States Naval history in more than 100 years, will be commemorated at the Bermuda Maritime Museum next month.

The new exhibit, entitled, "Capture of the U-505", is sponsored by James Humphreys in memory of his late wife Shirley.

Before marrying the dashing young US Navy Lieutenant, she served during the war in Bermuda as a Red Cross nurse and was assigned to care for the injured German U-boat commander.

Following the capture of the U-505, Commander Harald Lange was seriously injured and subsequently lost his leg.

While his men were shipped off to POW camps in the United States, the Commander remained in Bermuda, under the care of the late Mrs. Humphreys, for quite some time.

Meanwhile, the U-505, destined to become one of the most famous submarines of the war, spent the next 11 months lying undetected in the Great Sound.

On May 20, 1945 it was taken to the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Today it is one of the most important exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.