A SALVAGE TEAM has successfully raised a Heinkel He115B seaplane from the depths of the Hafrsfjord near Stavanger, Norway. The Heinkel, Werknummer 2398, is in remarkable condition with minimal structural damage and little apparent corrosion despite being immersed in salt water for 70 years. The two floats along with their struts and one engine are missing, removed by German forces during WW2, but otherwise the aircraft is virtually complete. Only one other He I 15 is currently known to survive in preservation, an He I I5A-2 believed to be Werknummer 3043 and currently in storage as a badly damaged, incomplete wreck in France. Ironically, 3043 is one of eight He 115s which served with the Norwegian military during the war. Werknummer 2398 joined the Luftwaffe in June 1940 marked as BH+AM. It began its military career flying air-launched torpedo trials at Travemünde in Germany. The Heinkel then served as a multi-engine seaplane trainer with Flugzeugführerschule C 17 at Pütnitz between August 1941 and '42.
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