Description

2025 Britannia SS Tilawa Privy Recovered Shipwreck Silver 1 oz BU in Capsule

The SS Tilawa, a British passenger and cargo ship operated by the British India Steam Navigation Company, was carrying a substantial treasure when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in November 1942 while en route from Bombay to Durban. Among its cargo were approximately 2,400 bars of silver weighing around 60 tons and valued at over £2 million at the time (equivalent to roughly £100 million today). This silver cargo was resurrected from the depths in 2017 and was recently used to strike a 2025 British Silver Britannia with a limited-edition privy mark.

Each of the 2025 1 oz Tilawa Privy British Silver Britannia Coins comes in BU condition.

These modern Silver Britannias were struck by The Royal Mint using silver salvaged from the wreck of the S.S. Tilawa after nearly 75 years in the depths of the Indian Ocean. Each one was struck with a unique Tilawa Privy on the reverse.

The silver treasure of the SS Tilawa was finally recovered in 2017 by Argentum Exploration Ltd, a specialized deep-sea salvage company. Using advanced sonar technology and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), the recovery team located the wreck and successfully retrieved most of the silver bars from the seabed at a depth of over 2,700 meters. In addition to the silver lost on that November day in 1942, 280 passengers and crew, among 732 in total, lost their lives in the sinking.

King Charles III is on the obverse of the 2025 Tilawa Privy British Silver Britannia. His Majesty is featured here in left-profile relief in a design by Martin Jennings. This first-generation bust for The Royal Mint, like many other Commonwealth designs, lacks a crown.

Britannia is featured on the reverse of 2025 1 oz Tilawa Privy Silver Britannia Coins, along with the distinctive S.S. Tilawa Privy. The effigy of Britannia is the same Philip Nathan created for the series in 1987. The S.S. Tilawa privy mark features an anchor encircled by the name of the lost vessel and the year of its sinking. 

 1 oz .999 fine silver ships in capsule