48 tonnes of silver bullion recovered from wreck off Galway

A record 48-tonne haul of silver bullion has been recovered from a World War II shipwreck off the Galway coast.

The British cargo vessel the SS Gairsoppa sank in February 1941after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.

Oddyssey Marine Exploration, which specialises in deep ocean exploration, said it had recovered approximately 48 tonnes of silver bullion from the vessel.

It has been transported to a secure facility in the UK.

The company believes the amount recovered so far represents about 20% of the total silver cargo on board the vessel.