The Shipping Times, a daily trade publication on shipping, is disputing a report carried in last Sunday’s edition of the UK Sunday Telegraph that a US salvage company has found a torpedoed cargo ship 40 miles off Guyana which carried a huge treasure.
According to the Shipping Times, records of the various sunken ships do not correspond with the company’s claim.
The trade publication has linked the image of the wreck to a ship called the PORT NICHOLSON, a fact which had earlier been discovered by a staff member of the Sunday Telegraph. The Shipping times reportedly found a photo that is the original to the copy and this was confirmed to be the PORT NICHOLSON, which was lost off Cape Cod, sunk by U87 on 16th June, 1942.
And according to the Shipping Tines, this discovery casts a doubt on the company’s insistence that U87 sunk their wreck in June of 1942. From records, clearly the U87 was never off Guyana in that year, and in her short career, spent most of the time exclusively patrolling either the Iberian coast or on the North Atlantic.
The records show that the Port Nicolson left St. Nazaire on May 19, 1942 to start a 51-day patrol of the North Atlantic. Data reveals that the vessel’s journey was carefully plotted until it returned to St. Nazaire on the 8th July, which indicates that there was no deviation from this patrol.
However, according to the Shipping Times, records of every ship sunk by U-boats in June of 1942 and none of these correspond with the current location, 40 miles from Guyana. According to the company, the sunken ship was on a voyage from Europe to New York with ‘land-lease materials’-including gold bullion, gems and ingots of copper and other metals.
In the Telegraph, the company insists that the U87 sank their vessel in the named location. But according to the Shipping Times, it is beyond credibility that the U87 was in that area at the time, and even more incredulous that its movements should be covered up.
Consequently, this particular U-boat could not be in the area at the time and that its movements could be covered. Further, the Shipping Tines asserts that the crew on the sunken vessel would have known what was in its hold.
Meanwhile the Shipping Times has identified ten vessels which have sunk in the vicinity of Guyana, all of which look similar to the photo provided by the company, but none with any sort of mass wealth. The vessel which sunk closest to the location was the SS Mae, which was on a voyage from Trinidad to Georgetown. It sunk on 17th September, 1942 – 41 miles off the Georgetown Beacon (08.03N, 58.13W). One person died and the rest of the 40 aboard survived.
The SS West Chetac sank on 24th September, 1942 with general war supplies on a voyage from Norfolk VA to Bastra. The ship sank 100 miles north of Georgetown, British Guiana, and 31 persons died while 19 survived.
Eight persons died, while 24 survived on the 26th September, 1942, when the SS Tambour (ex Fidra) sank west of Georgetown.
The SS Aneroid sank on the 2nd October, 1942, 130 miles of Georgetown, British Guyana. It was travelling from Paramaribo to Trinidad. There were 43 survivors while 6 persons died.
The SS Caribstar sank on the 4th October, 1942 west of Georgetown. The vessel was travelling to Georgetown from Trinidad and sank after two torpedoes struck. Five persons died, while 29 persons survived.
SS William A. McKenney sank between British Guiana and Corocoro Island, on 5th October 1942. The cargo consisted of 3000 tons of bauxite ore and general cargo and the ship was sunk by Uboat shelling after an initial torpedo attack.
The SS Predsednik Kopajtic, while on a voyage from Trinidad to Demerara with ballast, caught a fire and sank after it was hit by torpedo. On 11th November, 1942, the City of Ripon (ex Lepando) sank 90 miles northwest of Georgetown. It was reported to have had 2000 tons of sand as ballast. The ship was hit by three torpedoes. Fifty-six persons died and 22 survived.
The SS City of Bath sank on 2nd December, 1942 leaving 3 persons dead and 37 survivors. At the time it was transporting 6800 tons of general cargo which included 2000 tons of copper ingots, 5000 tons of magnesite and 500 tons of chrome ore. The ship was sunk northwest of Georgetown.
A vessel named SS Solon II carrying manganese ore and 2000 tons of copper was sun k 150 miles North East of Georgetown. Seventy-five persons died and there were a mere 7 survivors.
