10 oz Silver Bar - SS Gairsoppa

Bar Highlights:

• Contains 10 oz of .999 fine Silver.
• Comes packaged in protective packaging.
• Obverse: "Certified Gairsoppa Shipwreck Silver" above the weight, purity and a unique serial number.
• Reverse: Portrait layout of the SS Gairsoppa with the date February 17, 1941.

This Silver bar would make a great conversation piece in any collection. Add this limited edition 10 oz SS Gairsoppa Silver bar to your cart today!

On January 31, 1941, during World War II, the S.S. Gairsoppa left the shores of Calcutta, India with 7,000 tons of diverse medium and high-value cargo that included general cargo, tea, pig iron, and a substantial amount of Silver. The Gairsoppa was headed to Liverpool, UK with convoy SL-64 to restock supplies that had been depleted from the war. Though convoy SL-64 was intended to join up with convoy HG-63 along with two warships for escort, convoy HG-63 was attacked by U-boat U-37, and the Gairsoppa along with convoy SL-64 were forced to sail the dangerous waters of the Atlantic without protection.

Due to high winds and large ocean swells, the Gairsoppa was forced to reduce her speed as the weight of the cargo made it difficult to navigate such treacherous waters. By February 14, 1941, the weather worsened enough that the Gairsoppa’s coal supply was running low, forcing her to leave the convoy and head for Galway, Ireland to refuel.

On February 17, 1941 the U-boat U-101 captained by Captain Ernst Mengersen fired four torpedoes at the Gairsoppa hitting one of the holds. The force of the torpedo took out the foremast causing it to crash on the wireless antennae cutting the ship off from any communication. The damage to the Gairsoppa’s hold quickly submerged the vessel into the icy waters of the North Atlantic Sea.

The Gairsoppa rested at the bottom of the sea until 2010 when the United Kingdom government Department of Transport gave permission to Odyssey to excavate the salvaged cargo. It took Odyssey two years before they could locate and recover the first of the Silver bars on July 18, 2012. They were able to recover 1,218 Silver bars, or roughly 48 tons. On July 22, 2013, they recovered another 1,574 Silver bars, more than 61 tons. With both operations combined, the Odyssey has recovered approximately 110 tons of Silver, which is 99% of the insured Silver that was documented to be aboard the Gairsoppa.