200 tonnes of silver found in sunken UK ship from India

200 tonnes of silver found in sunken UK ship from India

London: In one of the largest shipwreck hauls, nearly £150 million worth of silver has been found on a British ship that was travelling from India but was sunk by a German Uboat in the Atlantic in 1941. The wreck of SS Gairsoppa has been found to contain 200 tonnes of silver by the American exploration company, Odyssey Marine, which will keep 80% of the cargo’s value, according to a contract with the department of transport.
    Only one person from the 85-strong crew survived the torpedo attack as the aging steamer tried to reach Ireland, the BBC said. The ship was on its way back to Britain from India when it ran low on fuel in stormy weather, and tried to divert to Galway harbour, but it was spotted and sunk by the German submarine.
    The wreck of the 412ft ship was found this summer nearly 4,700m below the North Atlantic, 300 miles off the Irish coast, but it was only confirmed as SS Gairsoppa last week. Work to recover the cargo will begin in the second quarter of 2012, Odyssey Marine’s senior project manager Andrew Craig said.