cover image The Tsar's Treasure: The Sunken White Star Liner with a Billion Dollar Secret

The Tsar's Treasure: The Sunken White Star Liner with a Billion Dollar Secret

Martin Bayerle and G.S. Payne. Barnburner, $28.95 hardcover (274p) ISBN 978-0-9888760-0-2

Through meticulous research, contagious passion, and admirable candor, treasure hunter Bayerle explains why he's spent much of his adult life digging for gold buried on a luxury ocean liner that sank in the Atlantic Ocean more than a century ago. The RMS Republic, part of the White Star Liner fleet (which also operated the Titanic), was struck in the early morning hours of January 23, 1909, after the S.S. Florida steamship veered 30 miles off course in heavy fog. While most of the Republic's passengers and crew were transferred to other ships and survived, the Republic eventually sank while being towed to New York City. Soon, rumors spread that a reported million dollars in gold coins had been onboard the ship. After decades of research, legal battles, failed expeditions, and personal struggles, Bayerle insists those rumors are true and makes a compelling argument why. He suspects the involvement of Russian czar Nicholas II and estimates the treasure's potential worth at $1.5 billion. Bayerle also claims to know exactly where the treasure lies and is planning a final expedition to the wreck. By reviving the story of a ship forgotten by history, he captures the political intrigue and human elements with the eye of a novelist.