Shipwrecks
SS Gairsoppa
Sank 1941 · salvaged 2012 to 13 · ~300 mi SW of Ireland, N. Atlantic
RecoveredThe prize. 110 tons of silver bullion
Where. ~300 mi SW of Ireland, N. Atlantic
Status. Recovered
Where. ~300 mi SW of Ireland, N. Atlantic
Status. Recovered
The account
A British cargo steamer torpedoed by a U-boat in 1941 and found 4,700 meters down. Salvors raised 110 tons of silver, the largest precious-metal recovery from the sea in history.
Leads, where the trail points now
- A British steamer torpedoed in the North Atlantic in 1941 with about 240 tons of silver aboard; Odyssey Marine recovered around 110 tons from roughly 4,700 meters in 2012, the deepest and largest precious-metal recovery ever from a wreck.
- The salvage is documented and was done under a UK government contract; the remaining silver and the wreck lie in deep Atlantic water.
- The lead is what the Gairsoppa proved: that deep wartime cargo wrecks are now reachable, which has opened the hunt for others like her.
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