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Salvage attempts on BI ships MANTOLA and GAIRSOPPA cargoes to start in 2012
Cargo from Gairsoppa likely to be most valuable ever bullion recovery
AN American salvor is gearing up to recover up to seven million ounces of silver from the BI cargoship Gairsoppa and a much smaller silver cargo from Mantola, both of which sank in the North Atlantic.
On February 8, 1917 passengership Mantola was torpedoed 400 miles west of the Scilly Isles by German submarine U-81, with the loss of seven Indian seamen. Then in February 1941 the 8,150 dwt cargoship Gairsoppa sank west of Galway shortly after a torpedo attack by the German submarine U-101. According to Lloyd's of London, 84 of the complement of 85 perished, with the only survivor being the Second Officer Richard Ayres.
Under a salvage agreement the British government has agreed to pay Odyssey Marine 80% of the value of cargo recovered, which could include silver bullion and silver specie. Odyssey expects to start operations at both wrecks in the second quarter of 2012. Gairsoppa lies in approximately 4,700 meters of water, about 300 miles off the coast of Ireland. The hull is upright and lying in an east-west orientation, the torpedo hole being clearly visible. The hatches covering the cargo holds are no longer in place, says Odyssey Marine. Mantola lies in about 2,100 metes of water
Gairsoppa
Gairsoppa had a complement of European officers, Calcutta-engaged deck and engineroom crews and Goanese saloon crew under the command of Captain Gerald Hyland. According to Lloyd's of London War Losses, there were also two gunners on board. They were probably Royal Navy personnel. (See crew list below).
The voyage began in Calcutta in December 1940. Gairsoppa was loaded with nearly 7,000 tons of general cargo, pig iron, tea, and an estimated 200 tons of silver. She joined convoy SL 64 in Freetown, Sierra Leone, which departed for Liverpool, UK on January 31, 1941 without a naval escort.
As the convoy reached northern latitudes, the heavily laden Gairsoppa was forced to reduce speed. The weather worsened and on February 14, 1941, the ship, running low on coal and with insufficient fuel to keep station, was forced to leave the convoy and divert to Galway in western Ireland.
The ship was circled by a German four-engine Focke-Wulf Condor aircraft at 0800 on February 16, 1941. That evening at 2230, U-101 (Captain Ernst Mengersen) fired four torpedoes at Gairsoppa, one exploding in the vessel’s no. 2 hold. The impact and explosion of the single torpedo toppled the foremast which carried away the wireless main and emergency aerials, making it impossible for a distress signal to be transmitted. The ship took about 20 minutes to sink.
Bravery during 13-day lifeboat ordeal
According to Valiant Voyaging, two and perhaps three boats were got away in heavy swell and under machine gun fire from the submarine. One boat, in command of the Second Officer Richard Hamilton Ayres, set out with 31 men, eight of them European and 23 Indian. Only Ayres had any skill with boats. It was a dark night and heavy seas were running so they lay-to a sea anchor until dawn when another, waterlogged, boat was found with two Indian seamen on board, who were taken on.
They set sail and steered east under a reefed sail. Much of the fresh water had been lost during launching and there was only enough for two dippers per person a day. After the second day it was found impossible to swallow the boat's biscuits due to dryness of mouth and throat. The Indian seamen occupied the for'ard and midships parts where the canvas boat cover provided some protection from spray. They were issued with blankets, the Europeans giving up theirs help the Indian men withstand the cold.
Deaths occurred from frostbite from the fourth day on, and there were other deaths from men drinking seawater. By the eighth day the water was all used and the hands and feet of the remaining seven men were badly frostbitten.
Thirteen days after abandoning ship, the Lizard was sighted but by then only three European and four Indian seamen were alive. Seriously weakened, the men endeavoured to bring the boat to the shore but the wind was blowing directly on shore andwas too strong. The boat broached and capsized throwing all the men into the sea, drowning the four Indian seamen. The boat was righted and three Europeans got back on board, only for the boat to capsize again. One of the men swam for the rocks but was washed off and another was unable to maintain a grip on the upturned boat.
One survivor - Richard Ayres - was rescued unconscious from the surf by lifeboatmen who had been summoned by children who chanced up the scene as the men were desperately trying to make the beach. The fate of any who made it into the other lifeboats was never known. Richard Ayres* was awarded Member of the British Empire and Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea for his courageous efforts to save his shipmates.
Human remains are not expected to be found during work on the wreck due to the depth, age of the shipwreck, circumstances surrounding the sinking, and the area of the ship where work is to be carried out. The silver cargo is located in one of the cargo holds. Odyssey states that in the event human remains are encountered during salvage operations they will be treated with the utmost respect and the UK Department for Transport will be notified.
Three Merchant Navy headstones stand in the graveyard of St Wynwallow at Church Cove, on the Lizard, according to a Western Morning News report of Feb 13, 2010. One marks the resting place of radio officer R F Hampshire. The other two, both Indian sailors, were never identified while Gunner Norman Thomas lies in a civilian grave nearby.
Silver cargo
Research documents, including Lloyd’s War Losses, indicate that Gairsoppa carried a cargo of silver worth £600,000 at the time, which would equate to approximately 7 million ounces of silver. One record clearly indicates that 2,817 silver bars were loaded at one port and another report lists an unconfirmed amount of silver specie. The UK Government's Department of Transport has records that indicate that the goverment paid out an insurance claim for approximately £325,000 of silver bars after the loss of the ship.
The difference between the amount paid out under the War Risk policy and the £600,000 total value of cargo cited by Lloyd's is possibly explained by the uninsured silver lost (£275,000) as having been owned by the government, in which case it may not have appeared on the manifest nor as an insurance claim. The official government record of war loss mentions that the cargo consisted of “silver specie” (which refers to coinage), clearly differentiated from bullion or bars, which was the cargo that was paid out by War Risk insurance.
The ultimate value of the cargo will only be known after recovery and determination of the total amount of silver recovered and how much of it, if any, is in specie.
ON
Gross Tons
Net Tons
Dwt
137815
8,246
5,190
10,670 tons
Loa
Breadth
Depth
Draught
58.2 ft
35.5 ft
27.9 ft
Passengers
Propulsion
Screws
Indicated Horsepower
Trials speed
Built (delivery)
Builder
Yard noBI M-Class, cargo-passenger
1st: 66 or 81; 2nd 61 or 38
twin triple-exp steam recipr
twin screw
4,050
13.7 knots
June 6, 1916
Barclay, Curle & Co, Glasgow
514
ON
Gross Tons
Net Tons
Dwt
Ld Displ
141924
5,237
3,227
8,150 tons
11,375 tons
Loa
Lbp
Breadth
Depth
Draught
399.2 ft
52.2 ft
28.5 ft
25.3 ft
Decks and holds
Propulsion
Indicated Horsepower
Trials speed
Built (delivery)
Builder
Yard noStandard wartime B-Type. Three island
Two-deck cargoship with five holds
Steam, 3-cyl triple expansion engine
3,000
11.7 knots
Oct 17, 1919
Palmers' Shipbuilding & Iron Co, Hebburn
894. Laid down as War RoebuckGairoppa Crew List (incomplete) (from Valiant Voyaging, and other sources)
Captain G Hyland Commander
* Survived and later awarded MBE and Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea for his part in attempting to bring men to safety.G D Cummings Chief Officer R H Ayres* Second Officer C J Morrison Third Offocer J M Woodliffe Cadet R F Hampshire Radio Officer W F Dupuy Purser P E Fyfe Chief Engineer R Lang Second Engineer A P Carmichael Third Engineer H H Odd Fourth Engineer W Lucas Junior Engineer Norman Thomas Gunner [unknown] Gunner Deck Crew (25) Abdool Codoos x Abdul Motaleb Serang Abdul Maleck x Mustan Tindal Khoorshid Meah x Abdul Barrick Cassab Elahi Bux x Abdul Majid Winchman Abdool Mozid x Mahd. Hossone Seacunny Nurul Haq x Edabullah Seacunny Khoorshid Meah x Mossoudali Seacunny Abdul Jabbar x Hamid Ali Seacunny Syed Ahmad x Ruckbatali Lascar Sikander Badsha x Mohabbatali Lascar Yazul Moolook x Abdool Allee Lascar Jabal Hawk x Abdool Mozid Lascar Salamatullah x Abbass Ali Lascar Abdul Barrick x Abdul Aziz Lascar Akel Ali x Asmat Ali Lascar Hazibar Rahman x Omer Ali Lascar Mukibul Haque x Abdul Karim Lascar Wali Mian x Raqbat Ali Lascar Ali Ahmad x Anwar Ali Lascar Matiur Rahman x Hamid Lascar Mozid Mian x Abdul Jubbar Lascar Mohamad Haroon x Mohamad Meah Lascar Murshid Mian x Abdul Barie Bhandary Kishori x Baboo Lall Topass Mungal x Sokhi Topass Engine Crew (29) Kholill Rahman x Dewan Ali Fireman Serang Nozib Ahamode x Mosad Allee First Tindal Abdool Azis x Eusuph Allee Secomd Tindal Syed Rahman x Keramat Ali Cassab Mohamd Islam x Abdul Majid Lampman Fozore Ali x Hamdoo Mian Donkeyman Soozat Allee x Korone Alle Oilman Abdul Karim x Bprhanuddin Oilman Jalal Ahmad x Asmut Ali Oilman Fazal Karim x Asmat Ali Fireman Milakat Joma x Anwor Ali Fireman Doola Mian x Eusuph Ali Fireman Abdul Hakim Asmath Ali Fireman Abdul Suttar x Abdul Ghafur Fireman Muni Ahmad x Abdul Majid Fireman Nur Ahmad x Abdur Rashid Fireman Belait Ali x Fazal Rahman Fireman Ali Ahmad x Thanda Mian Fireman Amin Rahman x Abdool Meah Coal Trimmer Raja Meah x Anoo Meah Coal Trimmer Tufail Ahmad x Hasmat Ali Coal Trimmer Abdul Latif x Ahsanulla Coal Trimmer Abdul Karim x Abdus Subhan Coal Trimmer Sherazul Hawk x Ahamode Ali Coal Trimmer Abdul Rashid x Mohamd Latoo Coal Trimmer Nesar Ahmad x Chunoo Meah Coal Trimmer Maqsul Hosain x Sadaw Ali Coal Trimmer Abdul Ghafur x Musharraf Ali Coal Trimmer Mohamed x Mohorom Coal Trimmer Saloon Crew (13) A R Pais x M B Pais Butler C Rodrigues x J Rodrigues Chief Cook and Baker C Cardoze x S Cardoze Second Cook L Caldeird x H Caldeird Fourth Cook E C Rodrigues x M Rodrigues Pantryman F De Costa J M De Costa Captain's Boy Sk Kinoo x Lall Chand Chief Engineer's Boy T Rodrigues x F E Rodrigues General Servant J A De Costa x R De Costa General Servant J P Collasco x LV Collasco General Servant T M Fernandes x Augustine Fernandes General Servant J M Costa x F Costa Half General Servant Jetoo x Ruckber Topass Entry from Lloyd's War Losses (Second World War), Feb 16, 1941
Gairsoppa, British, 5237 toms gross, Calcutta for London, with cargo of:
2,600 tons pig iron
1,765 tons tea
2,369 tons general
£600,000 worth silver ingots
Position: About 300 miles SW of Galway Bay. How: submarine
Crew total 83 plus 2 Gunners. 84 lost. 2nd Officer was sole survivor
(There are conflicting reports of the actual date of the submarine attack and loss. VV and Lloyd's put it at Feb 16, while Odyssey Marine has Feb 17).
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