BOOK DETAILS.
This is the story of RMS
Niagara – the quest for New Zealand’s greatest
shipwreck treasure.
Author: Keith Gordon
ISBN No.
0-473-10056-8
Publisher: SeaROV Technologies Ltd, PO Box 1094,
Whangarei. New Zealand
Ph 027
275 1872, fax 09 4344164. email
searov@xtra.co.nz
Synopsis:
The story is that of the RMS Niagara - a
famous name and ship once called "the Titanic of the
Pacific". Sailing the Pacific route - Sydney, Auckland,
Fiji, Honolulu to Canada from 1913, the Niagara
was sunk in 1940 in Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand by mines
laid by the German raider HSK
Orion.
Lost
with the ship in a depth of 120 metres was a consignment
of 590 gold bars, weighing 8 tonnes, owned by the Bank
of England. The bullion was consigned to the United
States for the purchase of desperately needed war
materials for the defence of Great Britain.
Part
of the book recounts the epic salvage venture in 1941
carried out by a team of Australian and New Zealand
salvors who recovered 555 gold bars. This was hailed as
a world record for deepwater salvage. This feat still
features today in the media as one of the greatest
treasure recoveries of all time. The author includes
events that have not previously been published
concerning this famous salvage. He also relates for the
first time, the story surrounding the second salvage. In
1953 a British company recovered a further 30 gold bars
leaving 5 bars still unrecovered, an approximate value
today of NZ$1.4 million.
The
famous shipwreck with its remaining gold has for many
years remained a dream for divers but remained beyond
reach for conventional diving systems. This changed with
the advent of the microchip, robotic underwater vehicles
and mixed gas diving technology that opened the door to
explore the greater ocean depths.
The
author has been diving for over 50 years and in the
story, relates these advances that have today enabled
the dream of exploring the famous shipwreck to be a
reality. He has held a salvage agreement with HM
Treasury for the remaining gold and records the latest
explorations of the shipwreck.
The
narrative reveals for the first time political events
and wartime secrets surrounding the German raid and the
gold recovery. The author visited the Bank of England
Archives and the British National Archives in 2004 and
has documented the concerns of the British, Australian
and New Zealand Governments over the salvage contracts,
wartime censorship and accusations by the NZ Prime
Minister of the time.
New
material is included on the German Raider Orion
and the mine attack on the Port of Auckland. The author
visited a private maritime institute in Hamburg and
reveals the Germans had knowledge of naval targets in
Auckland at the time of the attack. The Orion’s
commander painted scenes of the German action in Hauraki
Gulf and three of his paintings are reproduced for the
first time in the book. One of the unique paintings
depicts the Niagara sinking to her grave.
Enemy
action, a famous ship, a cargo of gold bullion, the
sinking, treasure from the depths, underwater
exploration and adventure, - the story with its large
cast of characters is a story to hold the interest of
all.
The
narrative is in four parts:
Part One – THE SHIPS - opens with the German Navy
merchant cruiser Orion sailing undetected from
Germany to NZ and laying mines in the ocean gateway to
Auckland. The history of the Niagara is then
recounted including incidents involving the ship and
those involved with her. Among past incidents is the
ship’s involvement with the great influenza epidemic of
1918, when over 6500 souls perished in NZ. The ship’s
sinking includes stories from those who sailed from
Auckland on that fateful night when the ship struck the
German mine. The author has obtained new information on
the Orion’s raid, including paintings of the
wartime action by the German Captain; these are included
in the book’s illustrations.
Part Two – THE SALVORS - relates the story of the
1941 and 1953 gold salvage ventures. The author has
interviewed survivors of the salvage crews and obtained
records that reveal events that have not been previously
published. Previous, and many records of today still
hail the 1941 salvage as a world salvage depth record,
the book corrects this misconception. The story of the
Risdon Beasley recovery of 30 gold bars in 1953 is told,
including details of the salvage for this first time.
Part Three – THE EXPLORERS – tells the story of the
advances over the past 50 years with underwater
exploration in New Zealand and the fulfilment of dreams
to dive the Niagara and search for the remaining
gold bars. The author’s personal involvement is
recounted and records advances with exploring the depths
using remote operated robotic vehicles and technical
diving using mixed gas technology. The underwater
explorers’ adventures and discoveries as they push the
limits ever deeper to reach and explore the Niagara
are told in a manner that is informative and which
will also hold the interest of non-diving readers. The
question of whether the shipwreck with its remaining
fuel oil is an ecological time bomb waiting to explode
in Hauraki Gulf is also explored.
Part 4 – REVELATIONS
- Records
the author’s visit to London and Hamburg in 2004 and his
findings from researching documents at the Bank of
England Archives and the British National Archives. He
also obtained new material from a private German naval
historical institute in Hamburg concerning the German
Raider Orion including copies of paintings
painted by Captain Weyher of his vessel’s action in the
mine attack against the Port of Auckland. Much of this
historical material is disclosed for the first time.
Soft
cover – 284 pages including 53 b&w and 50 colour photos.
RRP.
NZ$38 plus $ 3.00 postage. Australia Aus$39
includes postage
Advocate's Book Review
(pdf file 2.2Mb)
