Lot 699

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Description:

U-505 AMERICAN SEAMAN'S CAPTURE GROUPING AND ANCHOR LINK
Good group of relics directly related to the capture of the German U-505 on June 4, 1944 when depth charges from the USS Chatelain forced the vessel to the surface and a boarding party from the USS Guadalcanal boarded her to prevent scuttling. The vessel is now displayed at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Included is half of an anchor link from the submarine, sold in 1954 in order to fund the restoration of U-505. Some of the ship's anchor chain links were halved and each piece was engraved with the vessel's name. These relics were then sold at the museum. This half link measures 2 3/4" high x 3 1/4" wide, the iron 15/16" thick. A later owner lightly coated the link with silver paint, which could obviously be easily removed. Also present is a 2 3/4" x 4 1/2" photo of Navy Seaman First Class Milton E. Price, along with a Navy Department letter sent to his father on Jan. 28, 1946 which mentions Anti-Submarine Task Force Group 22.3 and the date of the taking of U-505, and sends the young man's Presidential Unit Citation with Bronze Star ribbon. The mentioned ribbon and a cased Bronze Star are also present, as is a framed memorial certificate signed in facsimile by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Finally, a U-505 souvenir brass key ring is included. During the capture, Price was serving aboard the USS Flaherty, whose task was close screening for Guadalcanal. Ironically, Price was serving aboard on Dec. 20, 1944 when that destroyer was torpedoed by U-870. The ship was badly damaged, and Price was listed as missing in action. Provenance: TIME-LIFE Collection; The War Museum.

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March 18, 2016 10:30 AM EDT
Chesapeake City, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000