Diving For Gold In Lough Swilly – Donegal 1982
On 25 January 1917, the Laurentic was sunk by a German mine in Lough Swilly, county Donegal. The luxury liner was carrying £5 million worth of gold.
350 of the 500 crew members drowned and they are commemorated in a memorial in a churchyard on the banks of Lough Swilly.
As big as a city, the luxury liner Laurentic was built to last forever.
The ship was carrying £5 million worth of gold bullion, 99 percent of which was recovered by a British naval salvage team. But what has happened to the remainder of the gold?
Sixty-five years after the boat was sunk, Father and son Ray and Des Cossum are leading the salvage work having acquired the rights to the wreck in 1969.They intend diving to find the remaining 1% of missing gold now valued today at £2 million.
Speaking to Tommie Gorman about the current state of the wreckage, Des Cossum describes it as being like a kid’s toy that has been jumped on and smashed up.
It’s just like a giant scrap yard spread over a couple of football fields.
On this particular trip, the Cossums are joined by RTÉ cameraman Peter Dorney. Each trip begins with locating what is left of the wreckage on the seabed.
120 foot down there, the Cossums are convinced they’re going to find a fortune to leave them rich men for the rest of their lives.
Upon resurfacing Peter Dorney is sceptical about the chances of finding the gold describing the scenes on the seabed as
A giant junkyard.
The plan is to employ a team of divers to comb the wreckage for the gold.
An ‘Ireland’s Eye’ report broadcast on 28 April 1982.
Credit to : Lee McDaid – Donegal