Secrets of RMS Niagara: The British Gold Ship Sunk in a Nazi Minefield
Jeff Maynard

At the outbreak of World War II, the Bank of England was shipping gold to America to purchase arms and munitions. In June 1940, the RMS Niagara was secretly carrying eight tons of British gold when it hit a German mine and sank off the coast of New Zealand. The Royal Navy declared salvage was impossible because the water was too deep. In desperation the Bank of England offered the job to a retired sea captain, John Williams. Within weeks, Williams had hired a deep-sea diver, built an experimental diving bell, employed a team of misfits not serving in uniform, and refloated a rusting hulk to use as a salvage ship. Then, against orders, Williams sailed into the minefield to search for the sunken ocean liner. 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 began to realise they would be betrayed by the people who had sent them on their impossible mission.

Secrets of RMS Niagara is a true story of underdogs overcoming insurmountable odds, and the people of a small coastal community who welcomed them into their hearts.

With exclusive access to unpublished diaries, reports, logbooks, correspondence and personal interviews, Jeff Maynard reveals the truth behind one of the most incredible adventures of World War II.