Safe and vault product company Insafe International has again been called in to help solve the mystery of a second old sunken safe.
Insafe, who are frequently contacted to help identify old safes, was asked to solve the mystery of a second safe found by divers off the Cocos Islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The company based in Tunbridge Wells were sent two underwater photographs taken by a team of amateur divers, one of whom is the retired insurance risk surveyor and underwater explorer Barry Faiers.
Barry and team found the first safe in 2006 and on a recent return visit discovered another in the same area as the last. Old habits die hard and no self-respecting insurance risk surveyor is ever without a notepad and tape measure and true to form Barry had both, even at the bottom of an ocean. Insafe’s resident safe expert believes this to be a Milner banded safe made in the 1920s, however, because the safe is laying on its face it is not possible to make a positive identification.
Conjecture abounds as to the origins of these safes and what they may contain. Best speculation suggests that the safes were dumped by British troops during the Second World War when they were ordered to pull out of the region in advance of the Japanese.
What they say
Mike Cripps, Director of Sales for Insafe, says: "I was quite surprised when we were asked to identify the first safe last year, but to receive details of a second safe found in the Indian Ocean is frankly staggering. If the safes are ever recovered, Insafe would be delighted to help in identifying and opening them to discover their true origins." However, both safes are still at the bottom of the ocean and are likely to stay there, hiding the mysterious secrets they contain forever, as they probably weigh around 300 kilograms each, plus the water inside them and could not be raised without sophisticated lifting equipment.
