When the SS Gairsoppa was hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat 70 years ago, it carried its huge silver payload to an underwater grave. Now, divers are working to recover what may be the biggest shipwreck haul in recorded history, valued at over $210 million.
Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration has confirmed the identity and location of the SS Gairsoppa, indicating the British ship was carrying approximately 219 tons of silver when it sank in 1941 in the North Atlantic off the coast of Ireland.
Today, the silver aboard the vessel is likely worth around $210 million, which would make it history’s largest recovery of precious metals at sea.
“We’ve accomplished the first phase of this project — the location and identification of the target shipwreck — and now we’re hard at work planning for the recovery phase,” said Odyssey senior project manager Andrew Craig.
“Given the orientation and condition of the shipwreck, we are extremely confident that our planned salvage operation will be well suited for the recovery of this silver cargo.”
Recovery is expected to begin next spring.
Check it out in the video below.
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