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FOUND

S.S. Gairsoppa

Recent Sonar picture

KptLt. Ernst MENGERSON U-101
An ocean exploring organisation has found the wreck of a British-India Line vessel lost in WW2.  The vessel was on passage from India via South Africa to the United Kingdom.  The S.S. Gairsoppa (Captain Gerald Hyland) was a British cargo ship travelling in convoy but had to leave due to fuel shortage.  The decision was made to proceed to Galway in Ireland, a neutral port during WW2, to seek assistance.  In the approximate position 50.00 N. 14.00W. she was spotted by the German submarine U-101 (MENGERSON) torpedoed and sunk with only one crew surviving.  NAUTICAL LOG understands this was the 2nd. Officer.


What makes this vessel of particular interest is that amongst her cargo of tea and iron ingots there was a large shipment of silver ingots worth a considerable fortune today.  Her British Officers are listed on the Tower Hill Merchant Navy War Memorial and her Indian crew on the Bombay and Chittagong Indian Merchant Navy War Memorials.


Good Watch

Still being held captive in deplorable conditions are 400 of our fellow seafarers both ashore and off the coast of Somalia.  Little or nothing is being done to rescue them.

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