S.S. Laurentic

Morning news bulletins headlined the S. S. Laurentic the other day - it was an odd experience, having one of my more arcane research specialties exciting everybody.

J. S. Haldane pioneered the diving research that allowed divers to work at great depth. In 1917 a leader of that diving team, Guy Damant, came out of retirement to lead the salvage crew reclaiming the gold bullion from the seabed near Ireland. The S. S. Laurentic had secretly been carrying the British Government's funds to pay for US war armaments ... and the gold had to be recovered.

After the war Haldane went out to survey the continuing salvage operation ... the story is told in my book Suffer & Survive. Now (and this is the news part) it's possible to buy a share in the ruined hulk of the great ship, and any of the remaining gold bars that might come to light. It's £50 per share ... (though my book comes cheaper is you want to grab the full story first!).

As with much of the Haldane story, it's hard for me to let the tale of the Laurentic go. As with buried treasure, my research has brought to light a 'buried citation', another scrap of the Laurentic story I need to check out at the British Library. As with the Titanic, this is a White Star liner tragedy that has lots more narrative legs in it yet.