Letterkenny Post
NEWS
Thursday 1 December 2016
41
Hunt on for artefacts from famous shipwreck
A diver examines part of the Laurentic. Photography by Cater News Agency
JT Physiotherapy and Reformer Pilates opens in Derry
THE hunt is on for artefacts recovered from a famous shipwreck off the coast of Inishowen. The SS Laurentic sank on January 25, 1917 after striking a mine at the mouth of Lough Swilly. There were 475 passengers on-board the ship. Of these, 354 people died and only 121 survived. A series of events are now being organised to mark the landmark 100th anniversary of the tragedy. The ship was also carrying around 3,200 gold bars from England to Canada to pay for war supplies. After setting off from Liverpool, the Laurentic was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Buncrana to leave off a number of sailors who were suffering from Yellow Fever. However, within an hour of setting off again from Buncrana, the ship hit the mine. After the Laurentic sank, the Royal Navy organised a huge amount of dives over subsequent decades to recover the gold bars which were worth an estimated £5m in 1917, which could equate to around £3bn today. The vast majority of the bars were recovered but legend has it that 22 of them remain in the wreck. The rights to the wreck of the Laurentic was bought in 1969 by Derry-based diver Ray Cossum. One of the main elements of the 100th commemorations will be the opening of a Laurentic exhibition in the Tower Museum in Derry on January
25 next year. There are also plans to recreate a scene in the Guildhall when the Laurentic survivors were brought to Derry. Most of those died who died on the ship are buried in a cemetery in Fahan, with a further two buried in Cockhill cemetery in Buncrana. Commemoration services will be held in both local cemeteries as part of the events marking the 100th anniversary in January. Organisers of the commemorations say they have been in contact with surviving relatives of people who died on the Laurentic who have said they plan to travel to Ireland for the services. There are also plans to take a boat containing relatives and other interested parties out to the location where the Laurentic sank. During his many dives to the Laurentic wreck, Mr Cossum has recovered a number of items from the wreck. These will all be put on public show as part of the upcoming exhibition in the Tower Museum. However, it is known that a large number of other items have been taken from the wreck by divers since it sank almost 100 years. Organisers of the new exhibition are now hoping to get access to some of these items. Mr Cossum attended a meeting in the Tower Museum on Friday morning to discuss the plans for the commemoration events. He said many of the items would have been recovered
from the Laurentic by Royal Navy divers searching the wreck for the gold bars. Given that the items recovered were of little value in comparison with the gold, many of them were given away by the divers to local people. He said that it was common for divers to sell the items in pubs in Buncrana and around Inishowen. Mr Cossum said he would love to gather together many of the items taken from the shipwreck. “I would stress that the items will only be loaned to the museum for the length of the exhibition and then be returned to the owners,” he said. “Some of the items may also have been recovered during unauthorised dives at the site, but I would stress that there will be no questions asked about how people came into possession of the items. “We just want to bring as many of the items together to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.” The location of a number of items recovered from the Laurentic are already known. A gun from the ship is currently on display in Liverpool Maritime Museum, while another cannon gun from the famous ship is located at Downings pier in County Donegal. Anyone who believes they may be in possession of an item taken from the Laurentic, or who believes they have information relevant to the vessel, is asked to contact the Tower Museum in Derry.
Pictured (centre) is Chartered Physiotherapist, Johnny Loughrey of JT Physiotherapy and Reformer Pilates who has just opened a new clinic in Derry.
Chartered Physiotherapist, Johnny Loughrey of JT Physiotherapy and Reformer Pilates has opened a new clinic in Derry. Located on the Balliniska Road, close to the Buncrana Road and Springtown Industrial Estate, the new clinic offers Derry customers a world class running analysis lab for in-depth running and gait analysis. There is also a boutique studio for Reformer Pilates, as well as a range of professional Chartered Physiotherapy treatments. JT Physiotherapy first opened its doors in Letterkenny in
2013 and in 2015, became the only clinic in Donegal to offer the highly acclaimed exercise, Reformer Pilates. Owner of JT Physiotherapy, Johnny Loughrey, is looking forward to opening his second clinic: “We’re very excited to be expanding JT Physiotherapy and Reformer Pilates. The plan to open a second clinic has been in the pipeline for a number of months and we’ve been working hard over the summer to make it happen. “We’ve a great team in place and are looking forward to helping even more people across the northwest achieve their health and fitness goals.”
Johnny currently works with Athletics Ireland, Cycling Ireland, Paralympics Ireland and the FAI on a contract basis. Earlier this summer, he was involved with Team Ireland at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam and the Paralympics Games in Rio. For a full list of class schedules or for more information on JT Physiotherapy and Reformer Pilates in Letterkenny or Derry, visit www.jtphysio. com or call 028 712 69262. For special offers and the chance to win a £200 gift voucher, visit the JT Physiotherapy Facebook page.
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The SS Laurentic was one of the most impressive ships of the day.
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