S.S. Tilawa – Salvaged silver and state immunity

Description

Marine Archaeology and Heritage Crime Special Interest Groups invite you to attend a lunchtime talk hosted by Henry Clack and Tom Walters of HFW which is being held online on Tuesday 12 May 2026 from 12:30 - 13:30. 

The talk will discuss the cargo of silver bars carried on board the S.S. “TILAWA” at the time of its sinking by a Japanese submarine during WW2 and the subsequent salvage claim which 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.

Tom Walters is a Partner and Henry is a Senior Associate at the leading shipping law firm, HFW. Tom and Henry are members of HFW's Admiralty and Crisis Management team and have a particular focus on the salvage of both modern commercial assets ("Maersk Honam", "Ever Given") and historic wrecks.

Additional information

This is a virtual event conducted via Teams. The link to join the meeting will be sent via email at the point of registration, and a further reminder with joining link sent the day prior to the event. If you have any questions regarding booking or issues accessing the session please email groups@archaeologists.net. 

Event pricing

This event is free for all CIfA members to attend; this includes CIfA Marine and Heritage Crime Group supporters. There is a fee of £5  for all non-members of CIfA.