((Infobox Ship Career |
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Ship name=SS Gairsoppa | Ship operator=British India Steam Navigation Co. | Ship ordered=by MOWT as War Roebuck SS taken over by BISNCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
SinkingAttached to convoy SL-64 under master Gerald Hyland, she was returning from India to Britain in 1941 with a cargo of silver ingots, pig iron and tea.[1][2] Joining the 8 knot convoy in Freetown,[3] while in a heavy storm and running low on coal off the coast of neutral Republic of Ireland, it split off from the convoy and set course for Galway harbour. Circled by a large four engine aircraft at 08:00 on 16th February, at 22.30 she was spotted by U-101, under the command of Ernst Mengersen. Torpedoed on the starboard side in No. 2 hold, she sank within 20 minutes (Note: German logbooks kept in German time state she sank at 00.08 hours on February 17, 1941).[3] Her last reported position was 50.00N, 14.00W, 300 miles (480 km) southwest of Galway Bay.[1] The wreck lies at least 6,500 feet (2,000 m) below the surface. It was thought that three lifeboats launched, but only that in charge of the second officer R.H. Ayres with four Europeans and two Lascars on board made it away; the rest of the crew was lost. Ayres and his boat reached the Cornish coast two weeks later at Caerthillian Cove. Two died trying to get ashore, they are buried at St. Wynwallow, Church Cove, Landewednack.[3] Ayres was made an MBE for his attempts to rescue his fellow sailors, and lived until 1992.[1] MemorialEleven crew members are commemorated on Tower Hill, Panel 51. Seventy Lascars are commemorated on the Chittagong War Memorial.[1] RecoveryAfter a competitive tender, the British Government choose US recovery specialists Odyssey Marine Exploration, who have a two year contract period to find and bring up the silver, originally valued at £600,000 but estimated now to be worth £70M.[2] References
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