2014 1/4oz Silver Britannia - SS GAIRSOPPA

SS GAIRSOPPA BRITANNIA

Britannia struck in silver from the SS Gairsoppa recovered from deep below the surface of the sea.

In 1941 the SS Gairsoppa was returning from Calcutta to a Britain in the grip of the Second World War.  The ship was laden with much needed supplies, including pig iron, tea and silver - almost all of the silver was bound for The Royal Mint.  On 17th February 1941 she was torpedoed by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland, many of her men drowning in the icy waters of the North Atlantic - the waters that would lay claim to the Gairsoppa for more than 70 years.

SS Gairsoppa remained deep below the surface of the seas until the wreck was discovered in 2011.  Her precious cargo was eventually recovered, to be struck by The Royal Mint into Britannia coins, her name used as an edge inscription as a memorial to the SS Gairsoppa and to her brave crew.

Coin Specifications

Denomination - 50p

Alloy - 999 Ag

Weight - 7.86g

Diameter - 22.00mm

Edge Inscription - SS GAIRSOPPA

SEALED IN ORIGINAL ROYAL MINT PACKAGING