Second shipwreck found loaded with silver off the coast of Ireland - VIDEO

The same underwater salvage experts who recently discovered the wreck of the silver laden SS Gairsoppa have found another sunken vessel loaded with the precious metal, the SS Mantola, which was torpedoed by a German submarine after setting sail from London in 1917.

Just two weeks after finding the Gairsoppa loaded with an estimated £155m worth of silver, marine salvage company Odyssey Marine Exploration have found the Mantola which is believed to be carrying around 20 tonnes of silver, valued at around £12m.

The discovery was made in the North Atlantic whilst the salvage company carried out recovery operations on the Gairsoppa wreck in international waters off the coast of Ireland.

Odyssey Marine Exploration said its researchers used a proprietary shipwreck database to identify other potential targets within range of the original wreck, and came up with a search area for the Mantola.

The Mantola was then discovered more than one-and-a-half miles below the surface of the ocean, also in international waters, approximately 100 miles from the Gairsoppa site.

The company said that during an inspection carried out by a remote controlled submergible, the wreck was positively identified by the markings "Mantola" and "Glasgow" visible on the stern, as well as checks of the wreck's length, width, height and location which matched historical records.

The SS Mantola was a British-flagged steamer which set sail from London on 4 February, 1917, carrying passengers and cargo - including a shipment of silver - to Calcutta, India.

With the First World War still raging British ships were vulnerable to attack from German submarines and four days later on 8 February, the Mantola was struck by a torpedo, with all 165 crew members and 18 passengers on-board forced to abandon the ship.

All but seven crew members, who drowned when their lifeboat overturned, were rescued by the HMS Laburnum as an unsuccessful attempt was made to tow the Mantola before she sank on 9 February, 1917.

As part of a contract with the Department for Transport, the Odyssey Marine Exploration will retain 80 per cent of the value of the silver recovered, with the expedition to recover both wrecks expected to commence in spring next year.


/The Telegraph/

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