| Porthole 29 Sep 11

WEALTH from the watery depths.
Shipwreck search and recovery company
Odyssey Marine Exploration has netted itself
possibly the world’s largest precious metal
haul, from onboard the SS Gairsoppa.
The Gairsoppa was sunk in Feb 1941 by a
German U-boat as she was sailing from India
to Britain laden with 219 tonnes of silver
coins and bullion, now worth a cool $204m.
She was heading towards Galway for
shelter from a storm when she sunk, with
all but one merchant seamen onboard
dying as she went down.
Until now her location has remained a
mystery, however her final resting place has
been confirmed as 15,400 feet below the
Atlantic Ocean and about 482km off the
coast of Ireland.