WWII treasure ship found

[birdie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15061868

And not considered a war grave? Hmmm...I wonder why?

[prussian.guard]

Agree with you birdie amazing what is brushed aside when money is involved.

[IanC]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15061868

And not considered a war grave? Hmmm...I wonder why?

Puzzled by this as well. I thought they wouldn't be allowed to touch it.

[birdie]

Thanks

I remember they found the PT109 a few years back...explorers were not allowed to touch it because one of the crew was killed.....too bad there wasn't gold on board, we could have seen the archaeological recovery..

[blinky]

Because it was part of the merchant fleet and not a warship.

Stupid, eh? Considered salvage when civilian and looting when it comes to military wrecks.

[Thorsten B.]

I think it´s an awesome find!

And don´t try to persuade me that - if you would find it - you, of course, would never ever touch it.

After lifting this treasure up they could pay for a honourable funeral for those who died in or on that ship - that should be a good compromise about the whole thing.

[birdie]

I think it´s an awesome find!

And don´t try to persuade me that - if you would find it - you, of course, would never ever touch it.

After lifting this treasure up they could pay for a honourable funeral for those who died in or on that ship - that should be a good compromise about the whole thing.

Where do you Thorsten draw the line? How much treasure needs to be in the ship to make it worth disturbing the grave?

[hucks216]

I'm not sure the reporting of this sinking in the BBC report is totally correct which would have a bearing on it being a war grave or not. I believe that while all but one of the crew perished, none of them were killed in the actual attack. They all died in the hours and days afterwards while in lifeboats so technically the ship won't be designated a war grave.

[birdie]

I'm not sure the reporting of this sinking in the BBC report is totally correct which would have a bearing on it being a war grave or not. I believe that while all but one of the crew perished, none of them were killed in the actual attack. They all died in the hours and days afterwards while in lifeboats so technically the ship won't be designated a war grave.

"Only one person from the 85-strong crew survived the torpedo attack as the ageing steamer tried to reach Ireland."


I believe many went down with the ship..............

[hucks216]

"Only one person from the 85-strong crew survived the torpedo attack as the ageing steamer tried to reach Ireland."


I believe many went down with the ship..............

Aye, you are correct. My apologies. It looks like the other report (Sky News) just mentions that there were believed to be 32 survivors of the attack of which only one survived in the lifeboats but looking on www.convoyweb.org.uk there were indeed 82 crew and 2 service personnel onboard at the time.

[hucks216]

I have found a newspaper story dated from 2006 that might shed light on why merchant ships are not automatically designated war graves although how the law stands now I don't know...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/oc...worldwar.world

[blinky]

Golly that sounds kinda familiar......

[birdie]

Aye, you are correct. My apologies. It looks like the other report (Sky News) just mentions that there were believed to be 32 survivors of the attack of which only one survived in the lifeboats but looking on www.convoyweb.org.uk there were indeed 82 crew and 2 service personnel onboard at the time.

No apologies needed, we are all learning here...good info, thanks....and i think my original ? is an interesting debate...and where do you draw the line?

[Johnny R]

4700 meters down? It will take forever for them to get the material out. The need to cut off the hull etc. That will be interesting it will cost them half of the value just to get the material out.

[hucks216]

This is the same company that found what they believe is HMS Sussex near Gibraltar which is thought to be laden with gold. When I was based in Gibraltar from 2002-2005 I remember their ship going out to the site every few days from alongside Gibraltar - followed not long after by boats of the Spanish authroities who are none too happy about the affair!

Having read their website they do not expect to find any remains. In the FAQ section for this project here is the entry...

Q - Do you expect to find any human remains?
A - Human remains are not expected to be found during work on the shipwreck of the Gairsoppa due to the depth, age of the shipwreck, circumstances surrounding the sinking, and the area where work is to be carried out. The Gairsoppa was a cargo ship and the silver cargo is located in one of the cargo holds. Crew members would not have been in one of these holds. Nevertheless, this site deserves respect in recognition of the brave merchant mariners who sacrificed so much on behalf of the war effort.

According to Lloyd's War losses, 83 crew members and 2 gunners were aboard the Gairsoppa when she was hit by the torpedo. The crew of British and East Indian sailors abandoned ship under U-boat machine gun fire, but only one person, Second Officer, Mr. R.H. Ayres survived the long journey to shore after thirteen days in a lifeboat.

In the unlikely event that any human remains are encountered they will be treated with the utmost respect and the UK Department for Transport will be notified.