The cameras from The Discovery Channel (DStv 121) is rolling as a team from the Odyssey Marine Exploration being filmed by the TV channel recovered approximately 48 tons of silver bullion from a depth of approximately three miles in the North Atlantic.
This initial recovery of bullion from the SS Gairsoppa - a 412 foot steel-hulled British merchant cargo ship that sank in February 1941 after being torpedoed by a German U-boat during World War II - totals 1 203 silver bars or approximately 1,4 million troy ounces of silver.
Discovery film crews captured the entire mission for a TV special which will be broadcast in the first quarter of 2013.
"We congratulate the Odyssey team on this amazing achievement and can't wait to see the whole story," says Eileen O'Neill, the group president for Discovery and TLC networks in America in a press statement.
"Whether it's the search for the remains of Amelia Earhart in the South Pacific or the quest to explore the universe with our brand new Discovery Channel telescope in Arizona, Discovery is more than out name, it's what we put into action from land, sea and sky," says Eileen O'Neill.
This record-breaking operation has so far produced the heaviest and deepest recovery of precious metals ever from a shipwreck. Odyssey becan recovery operations in late May after completing a series of reconnaissance fives earlier this year.
"We're excited to showcase the work of our outstanding marine operations team as they conduct groundbreaking exploration work in the deep-ocean. Discovery Channel has a reputation of bringing viewers educationl and entertaining television programming and we're honoured to be featured on their platform as it allows us to share not only the excitement of the deepest, heaviest precious metals recovery from a shipwreck, but also the long-forgotten story of the SS Gairsoppa, a WWII merchant ship," says Greg Stemm, the Odyssey CEO and co-founder.
