WW2 treasure hunt to commence

The search for a lost shipwreck containing treasure looks set to commence off Western Ireland.

Odyssey Marine Exploration has chartered a Russian vessel as it prepares to hunt for the SS Gairsoppa.

In 1941 whilst carrying cargo for the UK Ministry of War Transport, the Gairsoppa was torpedoed 300 miles southwest of Galway. Loaded in her cargo holds were 7 million ounces of silver at the time.

Sunk in around 2,000 metres of water, the search for the shipwreck and salvage of silver will take time and considerable expertise.

The British Crown, not to mention Odyssey, are both keen to get their hands on the booty – and have thus reached a salvage agreement over the spoils. Under the contract, Odyssey will retain 80% of the bullion value of the cargo after expenses.

The Florida-based treasure hunting outfit has impressive deepwater discovery and salvage credits. In the last few years alone it has located the ‘Black Swan’ in the Atlantic and the HMS Sussex off Gibraltar, both carrying multi-million dollar cargoes.

Odyssey has at its disposal the MAK-1M (deep-tow low frequency sonar system), and NEPTUNE (deep-sea remote operated video system), capable of reaching up to 6,000 meters in depth.