On January 25, 1917, the HMS Laurentic struck German mines off the coast of Ireland and sank. It was carrying 44 tons of gold bullion to the still-neutral United States via Canada in order to finance the war effort for Britain and its allies. The salvage mission was confidential, since the British government dared not alert the Germans to the presence of the sunken treasure. Lieutenant Commander Guybon C.C. Damant was the most qualified officer to head the mission.Though Damant's salvage team was successful at first, recovering a significant amount of gold, wild gales battered the wreck, turning the operation into a multiyear struggle of man versus nature. Damant was called off the salvage when his skill became needed to lead a team of covert divers to investigate and search through the contents of recently sunk U-boats for ciphers, minefield schematics, and other secret documents.After the war, Damant became obsessed with completing his long-deferred mission. After five more years, Damant and his team recovered 99 percent of the gold. His deed became one of the most notable exploits in the annals of undersea diving and naval operations, and the Laurentic became a model for later salvages.
