Deutsches U-Boot Museum

Freundeskreis Traditionsarchiv Unterseeboote - FTU e. V.

Friends of the Deutsches U-Boot Museum-Archiv

This association was founded in 1992 to support the work of the archive. To understand the necessity of this support there is useful a view in archiv history. For decades Horst Bredow has been financing the development of the archive exclusively out his own pocket. The scope of his work reached in 1986 a point where that was no longer possible. So in June 1986 Horst Bredow officially changed his archive into a non-profitable charitable foundation. This step was also important to establish a long term security for the valuable information and artifacts.

The Executive and the Advisory Council have given much thought as to how the archive could 'capture' payments for services rendered. But the archive is a non-profit foundation, and the Department of Finance does not allow it to billing the users direct from the archive. In the same way, the archive can't charge admission to the museum.

This means, the archive is entirely dependent upon voluntary contributions.

In 1992 some former U-boat men but also some old and especially young friends of the archiv decided, to found an association, which can effective support the work of the archive. In the year of foundation there were some 80 members, but as of Jan 2011 the FTU has more than 1,000 members, so most of the still living U-boat commanders and some other former U-boat men, but also historians, SCUBA-divers, authors, U-boat- friends and not at least some crew members of uboat.net.

How does the FTU support the work of the archive?
At first every active member pays a fee of EUR 40 in the year. The active members also work for 10 hours each year in the archive and thus help Horst Bredow in his daily work. The other way is to become a fellow member who pays a fee of EUR 60 in the year without working in the archive.

Although the support of the archive is the important aim of the FTU, every member receives the newsletter 'Das Archiv' twice annually where they find some information about the archive, but also about the U-boat history.

If you are interested to support the work of the archive and would like become a member of the FTU, please send a letter to the archive, you got then all information.