Wreck Diving
SS Laurentic
White Star liners baring the name ‘Laurentic’ did not fare well. In 1940, the second Laurentic was sunk after a desperate duel with the highly successful U-Boat U-99. Her predecessor was lost at the height of World War I and the story surrounding her sinking and salvage is equally compelling. It was in 1917, while enroute to the USA
that Laurentic met her fate when she struck two mines and quickly sank in 130ft (40m) of water, killing over 350 of her crew. In her holds were 43 tons of gold ingots to pay for war supplies, valued then at more than US$ 8 million and now equivalent to a staggering US$ 1.4 billion! Recovery of the gold was top priority
for the Royal Navy dive team ‘The Tin Openers’, renowned for their exploits penetrating sunken U-Boats. After two weeks of extremely hazardous diving they entered the strong room and came face to face with stacks of gold bullion boxes. However, storms suspended the
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operation and when the divers returned they found the wreck had moved. The strong room entrance was now in much deeper water and when they eventually re-entered, the gold was gone, scattered by wave action amongst the wreckage! Despite these setbacks the determined team persevered, recovering all but twenty-five bars. A further five were recovered during private salvage operations in the 1930’s, but twenty bars still remain unaccounted for, today worth over US$ 7 million. Nearly 100 years later, the moody
wreck of the Laurentic teems with life. The inshore water here is green rather than the deep blue of the offshore wrecks, but visibility still exceeds 30 feet (10m), allowing us to see the whole of the picturesque bow, which lies on the port side. The extensive salvage combined with sea action have left the wreck well broken up and quite flat, with decking and hull plates lying over each other like
a collapsed pack of cards, but it is still easy to appreciate the huge scale of this 550ft-long (168m) liner. As we make the long swim aft, we pass numerous compass jellyfish serenely hovering above the wreck. We eventually reach a large, perfectly intact deck gun that points us toward rows of the giant scotch boilers that supplied the huge amounts of power needed to propel this classic steam ship across the Atlantic. Malin Head has not yet revealed all
its secrets. These are only four of the ships that were sunk in this area and a great many others including ocean liners and warships are yet to be explored. The giants that rest on the seabed at Malin Head are testament to how vitally important the supply link between North America and Great Britain was during times of war, and a reminder that a great many of the sailors that manned these ships – on both sides – made the ultimate sacrifice contesting these waters.
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