Many of you may have never heard of the Republic, and it is no surprise. The details of the great ocean liner's sinking and rumoured cargo (a gold cargo reportedly held to obtain "riches beyond most men's wildest dreams") have been shrouded in mystery ever since its fateful sinking on a cold, foggy day in January 1909. In fact, out of thousands of years of ocean travel, when the Rebublic fell to
her cold death, she was the largest ship to ever sink in the history of the world. It wasn't until April 15, 1912, that the record for largest ship to sink was taken by the Rebublic's slightly younger and larger sister-ship, the RMS Titanic. The Titanic sinking, and corresponding large loss of life, conveniently took the spotlight off the Republic (and the large loss of gold cargo). underwater at her final resting point, until Captain Martin Bayerle, a treasure hunter and "modern-day pirate," discovered her over 70 years later. On the other hand, many of you have indeed have heard of the Republic. During post-discovery and prior to the first major salvage attempt in 1987, the wreck garnered international news and media attention. Millions of readers followed the story through such publications as the Boston Globe, NY Times, LA Times, London Times, and Japan Times, among a myriad of others. The 1987 effort, however, failed to locate the gold chamber on the 580-ft long wreck. Bayerle, along with his company, Martha's Vineyard Scuba Headquarters (MVSHQ, Inc.), would spend the next 35 years of his life pursuing research trails and fighting for salvage rights in US District Court. Bayerle's life story is also a tale worth telling, though the fruit of his efforts is yet to be realized. Is fame and fortune in the cards for the Captain, or is his lifelong effort just a "foolish passion" as some have exclaimed? The world will find out during Summer 2014-16 as the MVSHQ, Inc. team take a second bite at the apple and hopefully solve the mystery of what many consider to be "The Greatest Treasure Story of All Time." For more information on the research and the story, check out the newly released book "The Tsar's Treasure: The Sunken White Star Liner With a Billion Dollar Secret"
What if the greatest treasure story ever told wasn't... quite... finished? Become a fan, invite your friends, and join the hunt!
