WWI SS Mantola WWI shipwreck reveals silver haul

Via The Scottcarp Dream

A ship torpedoed during World War I while carrying a shipment of silver has been discovered 2,500m beneath the surface of the North Atlantic.

The SS Mantola sank in 1917, after being hit by German submarine U-81.

US firm Odyssey Marine Exploration located it off the south west coast of the Republic of Ireland, about 100 miles (160km) from where it found the SS Gairsoppa shipwreck last month.

It is estimated the Mantola is carrying more than 600,000 ounces of silver.

The silver would be worth about £12m at current market values.

The Gairsoppa contained an estimated seven million ounces of silver, said to be worth about £150m - the largest haul of precious metal ever discovered at sea.

It was during the recent expedition to search for the Gairsoppa, commissioned by the Department for Transport, that the Mantola was found.

The 450ft British flag steamer sailed from London on 4 February, 1917, bound for Calcutta in India. It was carrying 165 crew and 18 passengers, and the consignment of silver was among its general cargo.

It was torpedoed by German submarine U-81 on 8 February. All of those on board survived, apart from seven people who died when their lifeboat capsized.

An unsuccessful attempt was made to tow the Mantola before she eventually sank on 9 February, less than a year after she was launched.

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