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elsalvador
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Extracted from War Treasure II available from SevenSeasPublishing.com
Sinking of the John Barry
1944: August 28
Throughout the Second World War, silver bullion flowed from ports in the United States in a steady stream to allied countries. Indeed the metal was so plentiful it was substituted in hundreds of applications that normally called for using copper, brass, and other non-ferrous metals. The amounts actually exported are sure to vary according to sources. However, according to U.S. Treasury documents, 1,226,300,000 troy ounces were ?sold? and ?Lend-Leased? to foreign countries up until December 7th 1944. After that, even more was sold or leased during 1945.
Subsequently the Bureau of Accounts section of the U.S. Treasury department in 1947, reported that 420,832,722.00 were actually shipped under the ?Lend-Lease? program. Meanwhile in a comparison study done in 1957, a review of the silver supplied to foreign governments was made by the U.S. Congress. Their report revealed 409,782,670.64 troy ounces of silver was ?delivered? under the ?Lend-Lease? plan. Thus it would ?appear? as if approximately 11,050,000 ounces (338? long tons) of Lend-Lease silver was lost in transit to its destination.
Meanwhile what amounts of silver sunk by enemy action ?sold? directly to foreign countries, remains an unknown figure. Additionally, there will probably never be any documentation found showing the amounts of silver leaving the U.S. for use in secret military operations.
As for Lend-Lease shipments, one vessel lost transporting the silver was the American Liberty ship John Barry, which was torpedoed by the German submarine U-859 off the coast of Oman in latitude 15 10' north and longitude 55 18' east. The verifiable cargo lost included 750 boxes of one rial silver coins weighing altogether 1,031,250 troy ounces, which is the equivalent of 84,750 pounds. The whole of the boxes occupied 607 cubit feet which was stored within special steel compartments located in the No. 2 hold between the top and lower decks.
In addition, it is refuted by some, that $26,000,000 worth of silver bullion was also included in the cargo. This figure, if divided by the price the U.S. was ?selling? not ?lend-leasing? silver for in 1944, would mean approximately 36,619,718.30 ounces of bar silver was lost in the ship. At first it would seem the existence of the bullion is undeniable, as the $26,000,000 figure appears in several U.S. and foreign intelligence documents.
However, a closer investigation into origin of the figure $26,000,000 reveals it first emerged from a document ?typed? by an American officer stationed at Basra, Iraq, who was assigned to interview survivors of the John Barry. As far as known, every subsequent intelligence report made thereafter derived the $26,000,000 figure from that officers interview?and here is where the error is believed to have occurred. For the 1,031,250 ounces of coined silver, were then worth exactly (R) 26,000,000 rupee?s, not ($) 26,000,000 dollars. So in the end, as no rupee symbol existed on American typewriters of the period, the American officer simply used the dollar symbol as a substitute.
?
Considering millions of dollars has been spent pursuing the John Barry?s treasure, it?s hoped this last information might someday be found incorrect. However it appears the mystery of the phantom bullion has been solved as salvage operations carried out in recent times, did recover the coinage, but failed to recover a single silver bar.
Footnote # 1: Other ships transporting Lend-Lease silver during W.W.II are listed below. A detailed list of those vessels carrying direct sale silver has not been found in archival records.? Inda Bakke, Margrethe Bakke, Priam, Samsylarna, (torpedoed with 8,000,000 ounces, but all salvaged), Empire Rangood, Ocean Volunteer, Empire Falcon, Trevethoe, Sing Kep, Sonnavind, first voyage, Hoegh Silverlight, John Barry, Walter Camp, (torpedoed after discharging silver in Arabia), Parrakoola, Vessel #406, Kanagoota, Vessel #404, Vessel #385, Constantine, first voyage with silver, Vessel number # 426, Vessel # 427, Vessel # 698, Constantine, second and third voyage with silver; Eastgate, Junecrest, Samtroy, Samjack; Vessel # 381, Vessel # 386, Samuel Bakke, Phillips Schuyler, Titania, Reinholt, Sacremento, Port Carolina, Priestley, Vessel # 383; Vessel # 380, Vessel 382, Vessel 384, Goonawara, Sonnavind, second voyage with silver; Port Ruppert, Ocean Vigor, La Fontaine Parks, Jansteen, and others vessels carrying shipments made on May 8th 1944 and from April 19th to 21st 1944.
Footnote # 2: United States bar silver was exported exclusively in ingots weighing about 1,000 ounces each. Thus the refuted bullion would consist of approximately 36,619.72 bars.
Sinking of the John Barry
1944: August 28
Throughout the Second World War, silver bullion flowed from ports in the United States in a steady stream to allied countries. Indeed the metal was so plentiful it was substituted in hundreds of applications that normally called for using copper, brass, and other non-ferrous metals. The amounts actually exported are sure to vary according to sources. However, according to U.S. Treasury documents, 1,226,300,000 troy ounces were ?sold? and ?Lend-Leased? to foreign countries up until December 7th 1944. After that, even more was sold or leased during 1945.
Subsequently the Bureau of Accounts section of the U.S. Treasury department in 1947, reported that 420,832,722.00 were actually shipped under the ?Lend-Lease? program. Meanwhile in a comparison study done in 1957, a review of the silver supplied to foreign governments was made by the U.S. Congress. Their report revealed 409,782,670.64 troy ounces of silver was ?delivered? under the ?Lend-Lease? plan. Thus it would ?appear? as if approximately 11,050,000 ounces (338? long tons) of Lend-Lease silver was lost in transit to its destination.
Meanwhile what amounts of silver sunk by enemy action ?sold? directly to foreign countries, remains an unknown figure. Additionally, there will probably never be any documentation found showing the amounts of silver leaving the U.S. for use in secret military operations.
As for Lend-Lease shipments, one vessel lost transporting the silver was the American Liberty ship John Barry, which was torpedoed by the German submarine U-859 off the coast of Oman in latitude 15 10' north and longitude 55 18' east. The verifiable cargo lost included 750 boxes of one rial silver coins weighing altogether 1,031,250 troy ounces, which is the equivalent of 84,750 pounds. The whole of the boxes occupied 607 cubit feet which was stored within special steel compartments located in the No. 2 hold between the top and lower decks.
In addition, it is refuted by some, that $26,000,000 worth of silver bullion was also included in the cargo. This figure, if divided by the price the U.S. was ?selling? not ?lend-leasing? silver for in 1944, would mean approximately 36,619,718.30 ounces of bar silver was lost in the ship. At first it would seem the existence of the bullion is undeniable, as the $26,000,000 figure appears in several U.S. and foreign intelligence documents.
However, a closer investigation into origin of the figure $26,000,000 reveals it first emerged from a document ?typed? by an American officer stationed at Basra, Iraq, who was assigned to interview survivors of the John Barry. As far as known, every subsequent intelligence report made thereafter derived the $26,000,000 figure from that officers interview?and here is where the error is believed to have occurred. For the 1,031,250 ounces of coined silver, were then worth exactly (R) 26,000,000 rupee?s, not ($) 26,000,000 dollars. So in the end, as no rupee symbol existed on American typewriters of the period, the American officer simply used the dollar symbol as a substitute.
?
Considering millions of dollars has been spent pursuing the John Barry?s treasure, it?s hoped this last information might someday be found incorrect. However it appears the mystery of the phantom bullion has been solved as salvage operations carried out in recent times, did recover the coinage, but failed to recover a single silver bar.
Footnote # 1: Other ships transporting Lend-Lease silver during W.W.II are listed below. A detailed list of those vessels carrying direct sale silver has not been found in archival records.? Inda Bakke, Margrethe Bakke, Priam, Samsylarna, (torpedoed with 8,000,000 ounces, but all salvaged), Empire Rangood, Ocean Volunteer, Empire Falcon, Trevethoe, Sing Kep, Sonnavind, first voyage, Hoegh Silverlight, John Barry, Walter Camp, (torpedoed after discharging silver in Arabia), Parrakoola, Vessel #406, Kanagoota, Vessel #404, Vessel #385, Constantine, first voyage with silver, Vessel number # 426, Vessel # 427, Vessel # 698, Constantine, second and third voyage with silver; Eastgate, Junecrest, Samtroy, Samjack; Vessel # 381, Vessel # 386, Samuel Bakke, Phillips Schuyler, Titania, Reinholt, Sacremento, Port Carolina, Priestley, Vessel # 383; Vessel # 380, Vessel 382, Vessel 384, Goonawara, Sonnavind, second voyage with silver; Port Ruppert, Ocean Vigor, La Fontaine Parks, Jansteen, and others vessels carrying shipments made on May 8th 1944 and from April 19th to 21st 1944.
Footnote # 2: United States bar silver was exported exclusively in ingots weighing about 1,000 ounces each. Thus the refuted bullion would consist of approximately 36,619.72 bars.
