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Navy History! Shell off the USS Chatelain Capture of German Submarine U-505


johnny12550
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Shell from the USS Chatelain.. Shell reads" This shell was fired from USS Chatelain in capture of German sub U-505 off N.W. coast of Africa, June 4, 1944. It also has a German sum with swastika with U-505, the continent of Africa, a Destroyer, American flag and DE-149. Lastly the sailors name J.T. Villanella, Rdm 3/c USN.

 

I also have a second shell of the same size which reads" Shell fired form the USS CHatelain in sinking of German submatine on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1944.Also has a a sub, Destroyer, flag etc.... same as the first shell. Also has his name

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Very cool johnny12550, I remember when I was a kid and my dad and mom took us to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago about 1967 to see the U-505. It was and still is an outstanding exhibit. Thanks for showing

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I looked up Villanella on ancestry.com, looks like he served his entire time during the war on the Chatelaine. Maybe this Bofors mount was his GQ station??

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Actually, I didn't know that there was only one 40mm Bofors on the Chatelaine. Since there are two shells named to the same guy, it could have been his GQ station.

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Fantastic piece! I've taken my students to see the sub several times, and taken the interior tour several times. Great history in that shell!

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View the you tube clip, original footage, it makes the story complete. The Chatelaine was a Destroyer Escort, one of six escorting the USS Guadacanal carrier when they stumbled upon the U505. The naval group had planned earlier how to capture a sub, the fact they found one and pulled it off is simply amazing.

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I did view it, thanks for sharing. Unfortunately there were only two shells. the Chatelaine was responsible for the capture of U-505 and the sinking of of U-515 and U-546. I have the shells attributed to U-505 and U-515, but not U-546. The Navy muster rolls show him on the ship until the end of the war, so I wonder why no shell for the 546? I would imagine he would have made one up for that sinking too.

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Salvage Sailor

I did view it, thanks for sharing. Unfortunately there were only two shells. the Chatelaine was responsible for the capture of U-505 and the sinking of of U-515 and U-546. I have the shells attributed to U-505 and U-515, but not U-546. The Navy muster rolls show him on the ship until the end of the war, so I wonder why no shell for the 546? I would imagine he would have made one up for that sinking too.

 

 

She did not engage U-546 with gunfire during that operation. http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-546A/U-546CTUReport.htm

 

CHATELAIN only assisted during attack #8. Also of note in this engagement, USS DAVIS was sunk by the U-Boat.

 

3. Resume of individual ship activities during action, from 0840, 24 April, to 1844:
(a.) HAYTER, OTTER, OTTERSTETTER engaged in rescue of DAVIS' survivors until all recovered. Picked up total of 77 including three officers. CTG 22.8, in OTTER, in charge of rescue work.
(b.) Attacks on submerged submarine:
TYPE Assist (Direct) ATTACK
# 1 - H/H PILLSBURY FLAHERTY
# 2 - Creeping PILLSBURY FLAHERTY
# 3 - Creeping VARIAN JANSSEN
# 4 - Creeping VARIAN JANSSEN, HUBBARD
# 5 - Creeping VARIAN JANSSEN, HUBBARD
# 6 - Creeping VARIAN HUBBARD, FLAHERTY, NUENZER
# 7 - Creeping NUENZER VARIAN
# 8 - Creeping CHATELAIN NUENZER, HUBBARD, FLAHERTY
# 9 - Creeping VARIAN FLAHERTY
#10 - Creeping VARIAN FLAHERTY
NOTE: CO HUBBARD in charge at scene of attack, for attacks #4, #5, #6, #7, and #8.
(c.) Ships that engaged enemy with gunfire and took prisoners: PILLSBURY, KIETH, VAIAN, FLAHERTY, and NUENZER.
(d.) Ships present and not specifically mentioned, and all ships not otherwise engaged were held in formation on sweep line,
Complete records and photos of the attack and sinking of U-546 here http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-546A/U-546.htm
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Thanks Salvage Sailor, that definitely explains why he didn't decorate a shell commemorating the sinking of U-546. Thanks for the info. Ill post better pics of both shells

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No great story, unfortunately. I bought them at an antique shop in NJ. They guy cleans out houses, he sells everything that is antique that he finds within, I go there once in a while and he usually has a small area of WW1 and WWII items. The majority of his items are other antiques dating from the late 1800s to the 1940s or 50s. I usually purchase the swords he comes across, but these were nice and have some history behind them.

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No great story, unfortunately. I bought them at an antique shop in NJ. They guy cleans out houses, he sells everything that is antique that he finds within, I go there once in a while and he usually has a small area of WW1 and WWII items. The majority of his items are other antiques dating from the late 1800s to the 1940s or 50s. I usually purchase the swords he comes across, but these were nice and have some history behind them.

"have some history behind them". That is an understatement. Since my Army days 40 years ago, I have been fascinated with Ordnance, the tip of the spear. Jeeps, patches, medals, helmets, uniforms all fine but Ordnance always had my interest and special meaning as Ordnance is what the front line GIs laid their hands on to get the job done. A soldiers " hardware" is a narrow field, but the relative rarity of Ordnance pieces brings many stories from the vets that used them ( I exhibit my collection regularly). Your unique Bofors rounds tells a story of an event that was recorded in Naval history by one that was there.

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