It turns out an estimated £4.5 billion worth of gold is lying somewhere beneath the ocean, possibly a few hundred miles west of Ireland.
The gold was part of a lost cargo that was shot down by German U-boats during the Second World War.
Now, an organisation known as Britannia’s Gold, have produced more than eight million documents which could point to the possible location of the long-forgotten bounty.
With this new information Britannia’s Gold have launched a £15 million search and salvage operation using state-of-the art technology such as Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles to get Britain’s gold back.
The gold was targeted in order to cripple Britain’s financial capabilities to buy much needed resources like munitions and food during the war. It was also their intent to collect the gold after the war was over.
However decades later that gold has remained undiscovered with the new operation – launching a few hundred miles west of Ireland – aiming to rectify that. Their main target is three closely grouped ships in one area (two from WW1 and one from WW2), which could potentially hold £750 million.
According to Britannia’s Gold’s website, they claim that:
From our vast research database, we have access to invaluable information such as cargoes, wreck locations, water depths and legal ownerships.
The circumstances of the sinking and location of the wrecks are often further confirmed by inquest documentation and survivor accounts.
However the organisation is also keen to point out the sensitivity of their operation and that they do not intended to disturb or desecrate the final resting places of those of died on those ships.
Britannia’s Gold stresses that:
All will be treated with respect and those wrecks known to be sensitive and specifically, to have carried evacuee children, will be avoided at all costs.
As a mark of respect, a commemorative plaque will be placed at each shipwreck location upon completion of the team’s operations.
Since 1914, all sunken British warships have been declared war graves and officially marked as sovereign territory, however the merchant ships are not.
According to The Telegraph, chairman of Britannia’s Gold has assured the first portion of any recovery will go to the government – who owns the cargo. After coverage of the recovery costs, profits will be shared among the investors, with a percentage going towards selected marine charities.
So if you feel like your day job just isn’t paying enough why not rent yourself some expensive scuba diving gear and a state-of-the-art submarine and try your luck searching for Britain’s lost gold. But if you don’t have the funds – or the physical attributes for deep-sea-diving – you can always sign up to the Britannia’s Gold website for a chance to win a bar of gold.
