A deep-sea salvage company said it retrieved more than 61 tons of silver bullion this month from a World War II shipwreck nearly three miles under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. recovered 1,574 silver ingots from the SS Gairsoppa, the company, based in Tampa, Fla., said in a statement yesterday.

The Gairsoppa, a 412-foot British cargo ship, sank after being torpedoed by a German U-boat in February 1941.

Last year, Odyssey pulled 48 tons of silver from the ship, bringing the total haul to 2,792 ingots, or about 99 percent of the insured silver reported to be aboard.

Odyssey’s contract with the UK allows it to retain 80 percent of the silver’s $36 million value.