Kriegsmarine U-515 Board-Made Artifacts

[Erik Krogh]

Here is a small grouping of 3 (apparently) board-made items from U-515 (Kmdt Werner Henke). I find Henke a very interesting figure in the U-Boat saga. U-515 was the U-Boat sunk by Captain Daniel V. Gallery's task force prior to the capture of U-505, which is on display in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. Touring U-505 beginning at age 8 led to my life-long interest in U-Boats.

The grouping was purchased from the very reputable US dealer Bill Shea (Ruptured Duck). Bill included a photocopy of the carved 10th Flotilla emblem with a pair of Engineer Leutnant shoulder boards. The grouping is attributed to U-515's LI by Mr. Shea. Also included was a photocopy of 2 Henroit Quimper tiles. My assumption is that all of these items were originally grouped together.

Included in the grouping are:

1) 10th U-Flotilla emblem

2) (Possibly) an ashtray, carved with eight flat-faced facets on the top rim and with these sections extending in and downward toward the center (like pie slices). Each rim facet bears raised letters spelling out a different city: Danzig, Gibraltar, Stettin, Freetown, Lorient, Azores, Hamburg and Trinidad.

3) A wooden bowl, the artisan appears to have been the same sailor who carved the ashtray. The dish measures approximately 8.5? across, the center sloping down and inward toward a flat base. Centered within the flat base is a round ball (looks like a golf ball due to the many carving bevels on its sides). The ball has a peg on the bottom, which inserts into the dish bottom. The outer rim of the dish is carved with the inscriptions ?Trinidad? and ?10 - Dampfer 53480 BRT U-515?, meaning that 53,480 tons of shipping (10 steamers) were sunk by the U-515 this patrol. There are also the dates "12.VIII - 14.X.42". This data coorelates with U-515's first two patrols: Left Kiel on 12 August 1942, arrived at Kristiansand 13 August. U-515 then left Kristiansand on 15 August and arrived back at Lorient on 14 October 1942.

I have not spent the requisite time to research this group, but plan to do so in the future.

Edited April 26, 2007 by Erik Krogh

[Erik Krogh]

The small carved bowl.

[Erik Krogh]

The large bowl with dates corresponding to U-515's first two patrols.

[Erik Krogh]

Photocopy of 10th U-Flotilla logo and LI shoulderboards.

Edited April 27, 2007 by Erik Krogh

[Erik Krogh]

Photocopy of Quimper tiles.