SS Mantola was a British India Steam Navigation Company (BI) steamship that was built in 1916 and sunk by a German U-boat in 1917.

[8][9][10][11] BI had ordered two other ships of the same class from Barclay, Curle, but the Admiralty requisitioned them while they were being built, and had them completed as fleet oilers.

Yard numbers 538 and 539 were laid down as Margha and Masula, requisitioned as Oligarch and Olinda, launched in 1916, and completed as Limeleaf and Boxleaf.

[15] On 30 October 1916 Mantola was steaming from Middlesbrough to London when she struck a mine in the North Sea off Aldeburgh at position 52°09′N 1°52′E / 52.150°N 1.867°E / 52.150; 1.867.

[15] On 4 February 1917 Mantola left London for Calcutta in India carrying 165 crew, 18 passengers, general cargo,[18] and 600,000 ounces of silver.

[19][20] On 8 February Mantola was in the Western Approaches, about 143 nautical miles (265 km) west-southwest of Fastnet Rock, steaming at full speed and steering a zigzag course.

[15] Captain Chivas gave the order to abandon ship, with only himself, the Chief Engineer, and the wireless operator remaining aboard.

According to one account, it was in retaliation for the Chief Engineer and Radio Operator getting the wireless working, and transmitting an SOS signal.

[15] A passenger in one of the lifeboats counted 47 rounds fired, during which time U-81 closed to a range of 200 to 300 yards (180 to 270 metres) from the ship.

In 2011 the UK Government contracted a US company, Odyssey Marine Exploration, to find both wrecks and salvage the silver.

However, Odyssey had not started to recover Mantola's silver bullion by September 2015, when its contract with the UK Government lapsed.