The Salvage of the Century
by Ric Wharton
Category: Biography & Autobiography

This is the true story of one of the most ambitious and successful marine salvage operations ever undertaken. In 1942, in WW2, Stalin demanded help from Britain to supply urgently needed war materials. Convoys provided this transport. Churchill insisted that all the shipments be paid for at the time in gold. The gold bullion payments were always shipped on the lead escort vessel of the returning convoy. In April 1942, this was HMS Edinburgh. She was struck by two torpedoes and sank into the Barents Sea, taking 5 1⁄2 tons of Stalin’s Gold to the bottom with her. This is the true story of how Ric Wharton’s company, Wharton Williams Ltd. (2W) found the wreck and the gold worth £50 million at the time. The salvage remains a world record for the value of gold bullion recovered and the water depth of the recovery operation. Ric Wharton has had a long career in the diving and salvage industry and this book gives a fascinating insight into the exciting world of diving salvage.