3488) Did You Know Series (92): SS Tilawa an ocean liner of the British India Steam Navigation Company was sunk by a submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Indian Ocean on 23 November 1942: Coins & Silver Bars minted from the salvaged Silver:
The ill-fated SS Tilawa:
SS Tilawa was an ocean liner of the British India Steam Navigation Company launched in 1924. She was sunk by a submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Indian Ocean on 23 November 1942, with the loss of 280 lives.
The ship carried a cargo of silver bullion that was secretly recovered by a salvage company in 2017. This led to a legal dispute over ownership of the cargo between the salvors and the government of South Africa, the original owner of the silver.
In late November 1942, the Tilawa sailed from Ballard Pier in Bombay (now Mumbai), bound for Durban followed by Mombasa and Maputo. Acting as a troopship during the Second World War, the ship carried 732 passengers and 222 crew and 600 tons of cargo, including 2,364 bars of silver bullion intended to be struck as South African and Egyptian coinage at the South African mint. The cargo was valued at £34 million ($43 million) in 2020.
On 23 November, the Tilawa was torpedoed by the submarine I-29 of the Imperial Japanese Navy, near the Seychelles Islands. After the first torpedo hit, the lifeboats were launched; a second torpedo then sank the ship.
280 people went down with it. Survivors spent two days adrift. In the early hours of 25 November, HMS Birmingham, which had been alerted to the sinking, arrived and rescued 678 people.
RMS Carthage was sent to search for additional survivors and rescued four persons.
Discovery and salvage:
In December 2017, Argentum Exploration, a marine salvage company founded by racing driver Ross Hyett and owned by investor Paul Marshall, located the wreck of the Tilawa at a depth of approximately 2.5 kilometres (8,200 ft; 1,400 fathoms; 1.6 mi) and secretly recovered the silver.
The company declared it to the Receiver of Wreck in the United Kingdom, but South Africa, which had meanwhile signed a contract with a different salvor in ignorance of the successful recovery, asserted legal ownership in 2018 and further denied the obligation to pay a recovery fee because the cargo had been a state possession and being transported for a sovereign, not a commercial purpose.
An initial ruling for Argentum by the High Court of Justice was unsuccessfully appealed by South Africa.
In May 2024, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom reversed the ruling, upholding the South African position.
Legacy:
The Tilawa came to be known as the "Indian Titanic", a reference to the 1912 sinking of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean with a large loss of life.
In 2022, a memorial event took place in Bombay to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Tilawa's loss.Own Actual World War II Shipwreck Silver from the “Indian Titanic”
The Coins and Bars:
Imagine owning a vintage artifact or commemorative collectible made with authentic silver from a famous ship that sank during the biggest war of them all, World War II! This offer features silver rounds, bars, and granules made from full-sized bars recovered from the British ocean liner S.S. Tilawa - over 75 years after it was sunk following a tragic torpedo attack from a Japanese submarine.
The Plight of the S.S. Tilawa:
Dubbed “The Indian Titanic” due to its size and prestige,
the S.S. Tilawa was an ocean liner/freighter owned by the British India Steam
Navigation Company. While en route from Bombay, India to Durban, South Africa,
a key route it was renowned for during this era, the ship was torpedoed and
sunk by the Japanese Navy’s I-29 submarine on November 23, 1942, due to
hostilities between the British and Japanese forces during the war.
It’s a fascinating and extremely tragic story—280 people perished, and 674 were rescued. The ship and its cargo, which included over 2.6 million ounces of large, 99.9% fine silver bullion bars, lay at the bottom of the Indian Ocean for 75 years.
Coins/Bars Made from Silver Salvaged from S.S. Tilawa:
While a portion of the full silver bars recovered from
the wreck were preserved for some lucky enthusiasts, most were melted down and
struck into a variety of non-denominated silver pieces, giving more collectors
have the chance to own a piece of this fascinating history.
1-oz Silver SS Tilawa Shipwreck (Sinking Round BU)
SS Tilawa - Silver GrainS.S. Tilawa Silver Granules- Available in 1/10th Ounce and ¼ Ounce Sizes
Accessible and compact options for collectors! The 1/10th ounce granules arrive in mint-sealed packaging that affirms the silver’s authenticity and specifications. Meanwhile, the ¼ ounce granules arrives certified and sonically sealed by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) in a protective holder.
Style 1 shows the great ship during its grand voyage, while Style 2 shows its tragic demise on the ocean floor.
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