Republic ~ New Jersey Scuba Diving

Republic

Type:: liner, White Star Line
Name:: One of the "-ic" series of White Star liners, which included such other ships as the Georgic, Olympic, and Titanic.
Built:: 1903, Ireland
Specs:: ( 570 x 68 ft ) 15378 gross tons
Sunk:: Sunday January 25, 1909
after collision with steamer Florida - 2 casualties
Depth:: 240 ft

The Republic may have been carrying $3,000,000 face value ( 1909 dollars, 5 tons of gold ) of newly minted American gold "Double Eagle" coins ( $20 gold pieces ) shipped in 75 one-hundred-sixty pound wooden boxes. In addition, there may be 14 tons of gold bars in 196 one-hundred-sixty pound casks, a $6 million current value US Government payroll shipment, and several tons of silver bars; and then again, maybe not. Perhaps the gold was removed prior to the ship finally sinking, which did not take place until almost 40 hours after the collision. Divers have searched for the treasure, but nothing has ever been found. At 240 ft, any search operation would be difficult, to say the least.

details courtesy Martin Bayerle - rms-republic.com

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Dive Flag

All divers are required to show a flag when in the water. When boat diving, the boat will fly the flag for you, but when shore diving you must take care of this yourself. All dive shops sell flag/floats and lines. The simple fiberglass pole type is inexpensive and works fine; there is no need to buy anything extravagant - it will only get beat-up. If you plan to stay in one place, you can tether the flag to an extra weight on the bottom, or even just prop it up at the shore. If you plan to move around, then you should drag it behind you.

Use only polypropylene for a flag line, never nylon. Polypropylene floats, so when it goes slack it will float up away from you, instead of sinking down in coils around you, like nylon. The big yellow spools that dive shops sell work very well. Although they look clumsy, their size makes them easier to handle in the water. With experience, you will learn to gauge the amount of line necessary to keep the flag from being pulled under, without letting out a huge excess to get tangled up in. Add a brass snap to clip it off for hands-free use. Once you get used to it, dragging a flag is really no trouble at all.

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