Book was archived a day after I received it - never got a chance to read it.

THE SUNKEN GOLD by Joseph A Williams is really two things, a fascinating and detailed recounting of the recovery of 44 tons of gold bullion lost when the British boat HMS Laurentic sunk during World War I but it is also the story of deep sea diving; how it was at the time and the engineering and practical innovations that came just from this gold recovery job at the HMS Laurentic.
From the recovery aspect of the book, Williams walks the reader how the HMS Laurentic sunk and how the English Admiralty decided to go after the gold that was on the sea floor. He takes careful note of the politics of it all, from having to pull the salvage crews off and on the job based on shifting priorities during the war to questions of validity when recovery efforts were not producing strong results for stretches of time. From the technologic part of the book, Williams describes the leaps in understanding of the bends and stage decompression for divers, as well innovations that were tried (and some failed) and also simply how to work logistically on long term deep sea diving recovery efforts. What really ties this whole book together, though, and makes it a one of a kind read is Guybon Damant. Damant was the leader of the recovery efforts that spanned the entire seven years. Williams ties Damant into every step of the recovery efforts and by doing so, brings so much humanity to the entire story that otherwise could be dry and stiff and hard to follow.
Really a joy to read, THE SUNKEN GOLD should appeal to treasure hunting buffs, wartime enthusiasts, and historical technology fans.

During World War I, England was desperate to buy supplies from the United States, and money ran low. The Laurentic left Liverpool on January 23, 1914, with £5,000,000 in gold ingots. Rounding the northern coast of Ireland, the ship struck a pair of mines laid by a German submarine. The ship sank within an hour in bitter cold. Of the 479 souls on board, only 121 survived. Many others had gotten into lifeboats but froze to death. Also lost was the gold.
Britain had to get that gold back. Naval Commander Guybon Damant, an experienced salvage diver, was given the job. His task was dangerous with the possibility of encounters with submarines and mines, the harsh northern weather with strong currents and storms, and a depth of 40 meters (43.7 yards).
Damant’s success didn’t come easily. The gold compartment had been quickly located during the first season, but when the team returned after a storm, the upper decks had caved in. When the baggage room was finally reached, the divers found holes in the floor. The heavy gold had fallen through to the bottom of the ship. Most of the wooden boxes had disintegrated and the ingots were loose.
In seven salvage seasons over eight years (none in 1918), Damant’s team recovered 3,186 bars of the original 3,211. No deaths or serious injuries resulted despite the limits of diving technology and the highly hazardous conditions.
About half the book covers Damant’s other work, including diving on many sunken U-boats. The U-boats weren’t considered sacred burial sites. They were opened to search for intelligence. Even the dead might be searched before reburial at sea.
A very interesting book. I received a free copy in exchange for my review.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
Joseph A Williams’ book isn’t so much a chronicle of a sinking, but a history of a salvage mission. The best parts of the book are the ones that describe the development of diving technology. It also illuminates a lesser known story about WWI. The writing is a bit dry when moving beyond driving, but the use of background material does keep the reader interested.

I read a lot of history, but am always amazed at how much of it I don’t know. I had never heard of the Laurentic, a British ship which sunk off the coast of Ireland in in 1917 with over 40 tons of gold. This book is the story of the ship’s sinking, and the efforts made to recover the gold.


=== The Good Stuff ===

* The main narrative of the book is the efforts to recover the gold lost on the wreck. The story ends up being a marvelous look at the technology of diving, from the diving suits and air hoses of the 1920’s to modern scuba diving equipment. The effort and determination of the divers over the years are incredible.

* Joseph A Williams writes well, and the book is easy to read. The book wanders a bit, but for the most part stays on the story and has a minimum of plot lines and named characters.

* The book is also the life story of Commander Guybon Damant, the British naval officer most responsible for the original salvage efforts. The book takes us through Damant’s upbringing, schooling and his naval career.

* The best part of the book is the technical side, and includes quite a bit of detail on the diving technologies of the day and the improvements over time. The daring and boldness of the diving team was amazing especially when you take a second to realize the type of equipment they were using to dive on a wreck in over 100 feet of water. Imagine burrowing into a shipwreck, full of sharp edges and dark passages, in a 200 pound diving suit, with airhoses and safety lines connecting you to a ship.

* The book also has several of the small details that always add a touch of reality of a historical narrative. One of the more memorable was a local vicar taking offense at the method used for the burial-at-sea of several German casualties. He heard British sailors discussing how the bodies were skewered to hold them to the sea floor, and was shocked enough to report this discovery to authorities. It turned out he had misheard, and what the sailors had said was that the bodies were “secured” to the seabed, a recognized and honorable method of burial-at sea.

=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===

* Joseph Williams can not resist the temptation to fill the book with biographic details. While I appreciate the look at the times and how people lived in early 20th century Britain, I can not say that I have any interest what people wore at a wedding 100 years ago.

* It is a bit tough to put a value on gold from this period due to the various policies on ownership. But no matter what the rules are, 40 tons of gold has some value. The gold nominally belonged to several European banks, and was being sent to North America both for safe-keeping and to help finance war material purchases. Unfortunately, the author does not give us any indication of how important this gold really was. Was its value enough to change the economy of Britain, was it round-off error on the wartime expenditures? Was the value really sufficient to justify the efforts made to recover the gold?


=== Summary ===

For an event that I never even knew about, I found myself caught up in the story, and enjoyed the book. The narrative is a great combination of war history, naval technology and human bravery and perseverance. My own preference would have been for more technical information and less about the families of the men involved, but the book was very readable. It was amazing to see what the diving teams were able to accomplish with what would be considered primitive technology by today’s standards.