Secrets The History Press Ltd Secrets of RMS Niagara: The British Gold Ship Sunk in a Nazi Minefield

A rollicking Second World War true sea adventure of the brave and dogged attempts to recover sunken gold from a German minefield

THE FULL STORY OF THE GREATEST GOLD SALVAGE IN HISTORY

Eight tons of gold, locked inside a ship, sunk in the middle of a German minefield …

In June 1940, RMS Niagara was secretly carrying 8 tons of British gold bound for America when it hit a German mine and sank off the coast of New Zealand. The Royal Navy declared salvage impossible. In desperation the Bank of England offered the job to John Williams, a retired sea captain.

Williams hired a deep-sea diver, built an experimental diving bell and employed a team of misfits to man his rusting hulk of a salvage ship. Then, against orders, he sailed into the minefield. Over the coming months, the crew battled bureaucracy, storms, German mines and each other as they dove to record depths – but the closer they got to the gold, the more they realised that they were being betrayed by the people who had sent them on an impossible mission.

With exclusive access to unpublished diaries, reports, logbooks, correspondence and personal interviews, Jeff Maynard uncovers the true story behind one of the most incredible adventures of the Second World War. Secrets of RMS Niagara is a tale of underdogs overcoming insurmountable odds, and the people of a small coastal community who welcomed them into their hearts.