The Sunken Gold: A Story of World War I Espionage and the Greatest Treasure Salvage in History

by Joseph A. Williams Narrated by Paul Boehmer

Overview

On January 25, 1917, HMS Laurentic struck two German mines off the coast of Ireland and sank. The ship was carrying 44 tons of gold bullion to the still-neutral United States via Canada in order to finance the war effort for Britain and its allies. Britain desperately needed that sunken treasure, but any salvage had to be secret since the British government dared not alert the Germans to the presence of the gold.

Lieutenant Commander Guybon Damant was the most qualified officer to head the risky mission. Wild gales battered the wreck into the shape of an accordion, turning the operation into a multiyear struggle of man versus nature. As the war raged on, Damant was called off the salvage to lead a team of covert divers to investigate and search through the contents of recently sunk U-boats for ciphers, minefield schematics, and other secrets. The information they obtained, once in the hands of British intelligence, proved critical toward Allied efforts to defeat the U-boats and win the war.

But Damant had become obsessed with completing his long-deferred mission. His team struggled for five more years as it became apparent that the work could only be accomplished by muscle, grit, and persistence. Using newly discovered sources, author Joseph A. Williams provides the first full-length account of the quest for the Laurentic's gold. More than an incredible story about undersea diving adventure, The Sunken Gold is a story of human persistence, bravery, and patriotism.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Joseph A. Williams makes history come alive in his latest book, as though the readers are standing on the slanting decks of the sinking Laurentic. His thorough investigation into the aftermath that leads to the recovery of gold deals with all the behind-the-scenes politics and advances in technology at that point in history. This book is a valuable resource on many fronts.” —Michael Poirier, coauthor of Into the Danger Zone: Sea Crossings of the First World War


“Joseph A. Williams has uncovered one of the greatest stories of World War I, a tale of U-boats, lost treasure, and the tenacious diver determined to recover it at all costs. Simply put, this book is a real gem.” —James M. Scott, 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor


“A wild and wooly tale of pressurized goats, black arts, and maritime gold, all beautifully told. Williams has a real gift for fleshing out the human story from arcane historical facts. I was taken by the whole thing, and devoured the whole of it in two thrill-filled nights.” —James Nestor, author of Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves


“A fascinating, meticulously researched, historical adventure of gold salvaged under impending doom of War and Wind.” —Bernie Chowdhury, author of The Last Dive


“A well-told tale of naval exploits in which gold is the MacGuffin.” —Kirkus Reviews



“…recounts an American naval officer’s obsessive quest to recover 44 tons of gold from a sunken ship off the coast of Ireland during WWI.”—Publishers Weekly


"The Sunken Gold is a masterclass in how to research a subject and write about it.” —Underwater Contractor International


"It's also a story of human persistence and bravery, showcasing the lives of men that pushed every boundary of body and science in their resolute refusal to be denied."—American Digger Magazine

Library Journal - Audio

12/01/2017
Williams here tells the story of the sinking of Britain's HMS Laurentic during World War I and the man in charge of recovering the 44 tons of gold lost in her wreckage off the coast of Ireland. The Laurentic was sunk in 1917 after striking two German submarine mines during a secret mission to deliver payment to the United States for wartime supplies and materials. The Royal Navy assigned Lt. Commander Guybon Damant to recover its crucial fortune. This book serves somewhat as a biography of Damant as listeners learn about his life and scientific interests. Diving technology and scientific breakthroughs are thoroughly discussed as Damant was on the cutting edge with his Laurentic treasure operation. Listeners will follow along as Damant and his crew employ primitive technology to go more than 100 feet deep underwater in search of the gold while avoiding tipping off the Germans to the whereabouts of the hoard. Williams's level of research and detail is impressive, though it can bog down the story at times. Narrator Paul Boehmer is very easy to listen to despite a pace that feels a bit rushed. VERDICT A great listen for history fans, maritime buffs, and treasure aficionados.—Sean Kennedy, Univ. of Akron

Kirkus Reviews

2017-07-03
The history of the sinking of a trans-Atlantic liner and the hunt for the 43 tons of gold it was carrying.Early in 1917, the Laurentic, an elegant passenger ship refitted for wartime service, set sail from Northern Ireland bound for the United States, laden with gold ingots to finance Britain's effort in World War I. Before the vessel left the Irish coast, it was sunk by a German submarine as part of Germany's U-boat campaign. Along with details on submarine development, Williams (Seventeen Fathoms Deep: The Saga of the Submarine S-4 Disaster, 2015) writes like a truly sober sailor, with a vocabulary that includes "coaming," "paravane," and "splicing the mainbrace." The author graphically recounts the sinking and provides a biography of Guybon Damant (1881-1963), the naval officer who undertook the salvage for the Admiralty. Though Damant loved the task, it was not a simple assignment. Clad in inflated canvas diving dress, heavy boots, and globular metal helmets and tethered by lifelines and air pipes that tended to tangle, divers were subject to the bends. Damant became an expert in the practice of recompression. The wreck of the Laurentic was compressed accordionlike and shifting in rough water. Tons of plating and bulkheads required exploding and removal. There was also Admiralty red tape, shifting sand, silt, and crumbling wreckage. Winter weather was bad, and diving was restricted to summers. The effort took seven years, but, eventually, Damant's group was successful. After he retired, he became a commander of the British Empire. Ultimately, the crew recovered 3,186 of the 3,211 ingots that went down with the ship. Others have since searched, unsuccessfully, and there are still a few bars of gold deep down in what is now an Irish historic site. A well-told tale of naval exploits in which gold is the MacGuffin.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171360870
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	09/01/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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