Undoubtedly the highlight of a week's long diving, from 31^st July to 8^th August 2010, was a dive to the wreck of the SS Laurentic when a large group of Athlone Sub Aqua Club divers visited Sheephaven and Mulroy Bays, County Donegal. This famous ship wreck was dived by a number of the club's most experienced and qualified members on Sunday 1^st August 2010.  The Laurentic was built as a luxury cruise liner by Harland & Wolff in Belfast, the same shipyard that later built the Titanic. Launched in 2008 she was 565 feet long and weighed 14,892 ton. During World War One the Laurentic was requisitioned by the British Admiralty as a troop carrier and was later converted to an auxiliary armed cruiser. She sank off Malin Head on 25^th January 1917 when she struck two mines laid by the German submarine U-80.  Today she lies three miles north east of Fanad Lighthouse at the entrance to Lough Swilly at a depth of 40 metres. This ship wreck is steeped in history. In 1910 she was involved in the capture of the infamous murderer Dr. Crippen. As Dr. Crippen fled Britain for Canada on the SS Montrose to escape charges of murdering his wife, Chief Inspector Walter Dew of the Scotland Yard used the Laurentic's speed to arrive in Canada before the SS Montrose to capture Dr. Crippen as he disembarked. Seven years later, when she sank, she was carrying 3,211 gold ingots to Halifax, Nova Scotia to pay for the munitions that Britain needed to fight the War. By 1924, after seven years of salvage operations by the Royal Navy, 3,186 gold ingots, weighing almost 43 tons, were raised from the Laurentic representing the largest amount of gold ever recovered from a ship wreck. Five further ingots were recovered in 1932 after another salvage operation.  20 gold ingots, valued at over 10 million Euros, remain unaccounted for adding to the allure and excitement for divers that nowadays visit the Laurentic. Having completed their dive on the Laurentic Athlone Sub Aqua Club members proceeded to enjoy a wide variety of dives throughout the week in a number of locations including Pat McGee's, Duncap Head and Black Rock.  A small number of club members also dived to 25 metres to another ship wreck, the Greek steam freighter SS Kallipoe S. which sank early in World War Two in Sheephaven Bay on 17^th September 1940 having been the victim of either a German torpedo or aerial bombardment.

This diving trip was organised by Athlone Sub Aqua Club's Diving Officer, Geraldine Fogarty The club wish to thank Ann Boyle, the Diving Officer with Sheephaven Sub Aqua Club who generously provided Geraldine with a considerable amount of information regarding local dive sites. The club is also extremely grateful to local diver Kevin McShane who kindly travelled out on the club RIB to show Athlone Sub Aqua Club these sites. Back in 2007 Kevin successfully led a local group of Dowings divers on a mission to recover a 7 metre long, 10 ton deck gun from the Laurentic. Having been meticulously restored this gun has been mounted for permanent display at Downings Pier and is a striking attraction for visitors to the area.  The sharing by Kevin of his knowledge and expertise of local dive sites and in particular the Laurentic was invaluable and added considerably to club members immense enjoyment of their week's diving. Athlone Sub Aqua Club's visit to Sheephaven and Mulroy Bays and was a memorable experience, one which it hopes to repeat many times in the future.