Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.

Feature - Walkaround Russian Protected Cruiser Aurora

New MSW Crew member Simon Heathwood shares a photo gallery of his walkaround of the Russian Protected Cruiser Aurora.




Treasure hunters eye huge silver haul from WWII ship
Source: AFP

When the SS Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German U-boat 70 years ago, it took its huge silver cargo to a watery grave. US divers are working to recover what may be the biggest shipwreck haul ever, valued at some $210 million.

Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration on Monday confirmed the identity and location of the Gairsoppa, and cited official documents indicating the British ship was carrying some 219 tons of silver when it sank in 1941 in the North Atlantic some 300 miles (490 kilometers) off the Irish coast.

Valued then at 600,000 pounds, the silver today is worth about $210 million, which would make it history's largest recovery of precious metals lost at sea, Odyssey said.

"We've accomplished the first phase of this project -- the location and identification of the target shipwreck -- and now we're hard at work planning for the recovery phase," Odyssey senior project manager Andrew Craig said in a statement.

"Given the orientation and condition of the shipwreck, we are extremely confident that our planned salvage operation will be well suited for the recovery of this silver cargo."
Recovery is expected to begin next spring.

After a competitive tender process the British government awarded Odyssey an exclusive salvage contract for the cargo, and under the agreement Odyssey will retain 80 percent of the silver bullion salvaged from the wreck.

The 412-foot (125-meter) Gairsoppa had been sailing from India back to Britain in February 1941 bearing a cargo of silver, pig iron and tea, and was in a convoy of ships when a storm hit. Running low on fuel, the Gairsoppa broke off from the convoy and set a course for Galway, Ireland.

It never made it, succumbing to a German torpedo in the contested waters of the North Atlantic. Of the 85 people on board, only one survived.

The Gairsoppa came to rest nearly 15,400 feet (4,700 meters) below the surface, where for decades it was lost to the world. A previous effort to locate the shipwreck failed.

Odyssey found it relatively quickly, and insists the depth of the site won't prevent a full cargo recovery.
"We were fortunate to find the shipwreck sitting upright, with the holds open and easily accessible," Odyssey chief executive Greg Stemm said.




USS Daniel Webster (SSBN-626)

Today’s website is the USS Daniel Webster (SSBN-626). Enjoy.


This Day in U.S. Naval History

1822 - Sloop-of-war Peacock captures five pirate vessels.
1850 - Congress outlaws flogging on Navy ships.
1923 - Navy aircraft take first and second places in international Schneider Cup Race.
1944 - Marines occupy islands in Palaus under cover of naval aircraft and gunfire support.
1964 - First deployment of Polaris A-3 missile on USS Daniel Webster (SSBN 626) from Charleston, S.C.


Diorama Idea of the Day



An AV-8B Harrier assigned to the Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 214 taxis into position on the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). To see the original high resolution photo, click here.

Gator