Towards the end of 1940 the British SteamShip S.S. Gairsoppa sailed from Calcutta loaded with 7,000 Tons of Iron, Silver and Tea. She was sunk on 17th February 1941 by an enemy German U-Boat with only one member of the crew surviving.
To celebrate the recovery of the silver from the S.S. Gairsoppa the Royal Mint released a very Limited Issue Britannia 50p Silver Coin struck in solid fine .999 pure Silver recovered from the S.S. Gairsoppa and bears Philip Nathan's iconic design of Britannia Standing with a Shield while the obverse has the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank Broadley. The rim of each coin is struck with S.S. Gairsoppa to commemorate the ship, crew and to identify the Silver used is from the Shipwreck S.S. Gairsoppa.
Limited Mintage Worldwide
Finished to Royal Mint's Bullion Uncirculated Quality
Struck in Solid Fine .999 Silver Weighing One Quarter of an Ounce of Pure Silver
