S.S. Tilawa – Salvaged silver and state immunity
The Marine Archaeology and Heritage Crime Special Interest Groups hosted a lunchtime talk presented by Henry Clack and Tom Walters of HFW on Tuesday 12 May 2026.
The talk discussed the cargo of silver bars carried on board the S.S. “TILAWA” at the time of its sinking by a Japanese submarine during the Second World War, and the subsequent salvage claim that was brought before the English courts. Ultimately, the U.K. Supreme Court held that the silver, which was owned by the Government of the Republic of South Africa, was subject to state immunity under the State Immunity Act 1978 and the International Salvage Convention 1989.
S.S. Tilawa – Salvaged silver and state immunity recording
Offshore Development: Creating a Legacy for Marine Archaeology by Vic Cooper for MASIG, November 2019
A short document with notes of MASIG's session at the 2019 CIfA conference, detailing the outcomes of the session and each of the papers.
Bridging the Gap in Maritime Archaeology: Working with Professional and Public Communities
Edited by Katy Bell this marks the publication of a conference session held at CIfA 2014 organised by the Marine Archaeology Special Interest Group. The session focused on ways in which it is possible, given the obvious constraints of working in the marine environment, to engage with a wider audience in the course of maritime archaeological work. The volume presents a series of case studies exhibiting best practice with regard to individual maritime projects and examples of outreach to local communities, including the creation of accessibility to remote and hard-to-reach archaeological sites. You can download it for free or buy a hard copy via the link below.
Bridging the Gap in Maritime Archaeology: Working with Professional and Public Communities
Slipping Through the Net: Marine Archaeological Archives in Policy and Practice
Maritime archaeological archives currently face a bleak future. There are few, if any, public repositories with the remit or capacity to collect from the marine zone, a lack of clarity over roles and responsibilities and a tendency for those collections which are not split or sold to remain uncurated and inaccessible. Marine Archaeology Group (then Maritime Affairs Group) have produced 'Slipping Through the Net: Marine Archaeological Archives in Policy and Practice' (Ransley & Satchell) which examines the current state of maritime archives and highlights principle issues which must be addressed to ensure a more positive future. 'Slipping Through the Net' was put out to consultation. This version of the document includes revisions following consultation.
Slipping Through the Net': Marine Archaeological Archives in Policy and Practice (PDF | 3.39 MB | Edit)
