British ship with silver sunk in World War I found

WeirdNews

British ship with silver sunk in World War I found

Close

Odyssey Marine Exploration said it found the wreckage of the SS Mantola.

11 October,2011 08:54 pm

A British ship sunk in World War I with some 200,000 ounces of silver, worth $US19 million ($19.5 million) at todays prices, has been located in the North Atlantic, a treasure-hunting firm says.Odyssey Marine Exploration said it found the wreckage of the SS Mantola, which sank on February 9, 1917 after being torpedoed by a German submarine, and would begin recovery operations next year.The Florida company said it discovered the shipwreck about 2500 metres beneath the surface and just 160km from the SS Gairsoppa, believed to be the most valuable shipwreck ever, with some $US210 million in silver.The firm said it has an agreement with the British government allowing it to keep 80 per cent of the value of anything recovered from the wrecks. It said the British Ministry of War Transport paid an insurance claim in 1917 of £110,000 for silver that was on board the Mantola when it sank.