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**RCQDnMp5** · 07-19-2012, 09:01 PM

A £23m payday: U.S. company recovers 48 tons of silver from British wartime shipwreck off Irish coast

SS Gairsoppa was hit by torpedo from a German U-boat in 1941
Wreck lies300 miles off Ireland's coast 15,420 feet down
Heaviest and deepest recovery of metals from a shipwreck ever made
Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc under contract by British government
They will get to keep 80 per cent of the haul after expenses

By Daniel Miller
UPDATED: 16:04 GMT, 19 July 2012

A US deep-sea exploration company says it has recovered about 48 tons of silver from a British cargo ship that was sunk by a torpedo during World War II.
The haul comes from the SS Gairsoppa, which was hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat about 300 miles off Ireland's coast in 1941. It now sits 15,420 feet deep.
Salvage firm Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc said it's the heaviest and deepest recovery of precious metals from a shipwreck ever made.

Booty: Salvage workers inspect silver bars as they are recovered from the wreck of the SS Gairsoppa torpedoed in a German U-boat attack 300 miles off the south-west coast of Ireland

Doomed: On February 17, 1941, a single torpedo sank the SS Gairsoppa. All but one of her 85 crewmen were lost

Haul: Forty-eight tons of silver bullion has been recovered from the SS Gairsoppa and returned to the British Government but salvage firm Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc will keep 80% after expenses

So far, workers have brought up more than 1,200 silver bars, or about 1.4 million troy ounces. As of mid-day Wednesday, it was worth about £23.7 million (about $37 million).

The company is under contract by the British government and will get to keep 80 per cent of the haul after expenses.
SS Gairsoppa was steaming home from India in 1941 while in the service of the Ministry of War Transport when she was torpedoed by a Nazi U-boat.
She sank in icy seas more than three miles deep about 300 miles south west of Ireland. Only one of her 84 crew survived.
The 412-ft steamship is sitting upright on the seabed, with its holds open.

Raised from the depths: A sonar image of the SS Gairsoppa on the bottom of the sea

Eerie: A ladder leads down to the cargo hold on the SS Gairsoppa as it lies on the sea bed 300 miles south of Galway

Uncovered: An intact toilet sits on the bridge deck of the SS Gairsoppa

Treasure hunter: The RV Odyssey Explorer, bristling with high-tech equipment, which went looking for and found the wreck of the Gairsoppa

Pick-up: Odyssey crew used remotely operated vehicles to get to the wreck and unload its precious cargo

The ship, recognisable by the red-and-black paintwork of the British-India Steam Navigation Company and the torpedo hole in its side, was sailing in a convoy from Calcutta in 1941.
Buffeted by high winds and running low on coal, the captain decided he would not make it to Liverpool and broke from the convoy to head for Galway.
A single torpedo from U-101 sank her in 20 minutes, on February 17, 1941. Three lifeboats were launched, but only Second Officer Richard Ayres made it to land, reaching the Cornish coast after 13 days.

Well preserved: A brass part of the Gairsoppa is in remarkably good condition

In an earlier statement Odyssey said the UK government was ‘desperately looking for new sources of income’ and was urging it to find more British wrecks.

It was also investigating HMS Sussex, lost off Gibraltar with 10 tons of gold in 1694, and HMS Victory, a precursor to Nelson’s flagship.
In 2008 a U.S. judge ordered the firm to hand back gold and silver coins worth £300million to Spain, which said the treasure was taken from a frigate that sank in 1804.
Odyssey said the wreck’s identity was unclear and had been found in international waters.

07-19-2012, 09:01 PM	#11
RCQDnMp5 Join Date Nov 2005 Posts 446 Senior Member	A £23m payday: U.S. company recovers 48 tons of silver from British wartime shipwreck off Irish coast SS Gairsoppa was hit by torpedo from a German U-boat in 1941 Wreck lies300 miles off Ireland's coast 15,420 feet down Heaviest and deepest recovery of metals from a shipwreck ever made Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc under contract by British government They will get to keep 80 per cent of the haul after expenses By Daniel Miller UPDATED: 16:04 GMT, 19 July 2012 Comments (14) Share A US deep-sea exploration company says it has recovered about 48 tons of silver from a British cargo ship that was sunk by a torpedo during World War II. The haul comes from the SS Gairsoppa, which was hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat about 300 miles off Ireland's coast in 1941. It now sits 15,420 feet deep. Salvage firm Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc said it's the heaviest and deepest recovery of precious metals from a shipwreck ever made. Booty: Salvage workers inspect silver bars as they are recovered from the wreck of the SS Gairsoppa torpedoed in a German U-boat attack 300 miles off the south-west coast of Ireland Doomed: On February 17, 1941, a single torpedo sank the SS Gairsoppa. All but one of her 85 crewmen were lost Haul: Forty-eight tons of silver bullion has been recovered from the SS Gairsoppa and returned to the British Government but salvage firm Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc will keep 80% after expenses So far, workers have brought up more than 1,200 silver bars, or about 1.4 million troy ounces. As of mid-day Wednesday, it was worth about £23.7 million (about $37 million). The company is under contract by the British government and will get to keep 80 per cent of the haul after expenses. SS Gairsoppa was steaming home from India in 1941 while in the service of the Ministry of War Transport when she was torpedoed by a Nazi U-boat. She sank in icy seas more than three miles deep about 300 miles south west of Ireland. Only one of her 84 crew survived. The 412-ft steamship is sitting upright on the seabed, with its holds open. Raised from the depths: A sonar image of the SS Gairsoppa on the bottom of the sea Eerie: A ladder leads down to the cargo hold on the SS Gairsoppa as it lies on the sea bed 300 miles south of Galway Uncovered: An intact toilet sits on the bridge deck of the SS Gairsoppa Treasure hunter: The RV Odyssey Explorer, bristling with high-tech equipment, which went looking for and found the wreck of the Gairsoppa Pick-up: Odyssey crew used remotely operated vehicles to get to the wreck and unload its precious cargo The ship, recognisable by the red-and-black paintwork of the British-India Steam Navigation Company and the torpedo hole in its side, was sailing in a convoy from Calcutta in 1941. Buffeted by high winds and running low on coal, the captain decided he would not make it to Liverpool and broke from the convoy to head for Galway. A single torpedo from U-101 sank her in 20 minutes, on February 17, 1941. Three lifeboats were launched, but only Second Officer Richard Ayres made it to land, reaching the Cornish coast after 13 days. Well preserved: A brass part of the Gairsoppa is in remarkably good condition In an earlier statement Odyssey said the UK government was ‘desperately looking for new sources of income’ and was urging it to find more British wrecks. It was also investigating HMS Sussex, lost off Gibraltar with 10 tons of gold in 1694, and HMS Victory, a precursor to Nelson’s flagship. In 2008 a U.S. judge ordered the firm to hand back gold and silver coins worth £300million to Spain, which said the treasure was taken from a frigate that sank in 1804. Odyssey said the wreck’s identity was unclear and had been found in international waters.
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