After two years of arduous research and searching - following the trail of many others before him - Sverker Hallstrom finally found the elusive wreck. With the help of his partner, the salvage vessel 'Deep Sea Worker', her precious cargo was lifted up from a depth of 1, 200 feet below the ocean's surface.

Her glittering treasure, which had rested undisturbed for 114 years on the muddy sea bed, was found to comprise several gold bars and a sizeable quantity of gold Sovereigns (mostly dating from the reign of Queen Victoria).

The story behind these valuable reminders of a bygone era has enchanted all who have encountered them, from treasure hunters and historians across the globe, to collectors and wistful romantics.

The lavishly-fitted 'Douro' was considered the shining star of the Trans-Atlantic lines right up until her 62nd - and final - voyage between Brazil and England in 1882.

Owned by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., the slender iron screw steamer - distinguishable by her graceful clipper bow and two brigantine rigged auxiliary masts - was built in 1865 at the shipyards of Caird and Co. on the River Clyde in Greenok, Scotland. She measured 326 feet long and 40 feet wide, with a gross tonnage of 2.824 tons.

In July 1869, after servicing the West Indies run, she joined the exotic South American trade between Southampton and Buenos Aires. Her voyages took her past Lisbon, Madeira, Sao Vicente, Pernambuco, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, and were characterized by elegant company, fine food, music and laughter. Her sheer luxuriousness was matched by her reputation for reliability and relative speed.

She also carried on her South American run precious cargo the dream of many a would-be treasure hunter or latter day collector. Her holds were usually filled with the finest high-value products and goods from both continents and her bullion room was kept well-stocked with specie, bar gold and Brazilian diamonds. In addition, as a contract-bound Royal Mail ship, she carried sizeable quantities of newspapers and letters.

Her final Trans-Atlantic journey began smoothly enough on the return stretch to Southampton. But it will never be known for sure if the hour and a half delay she suffered on her departure from Lisbon had any bearing on the events that were to lead to her tragic demise that beautiful night of 1 April 1882.

On 31 March 1882 - after an hour and a half's delay - the 'Douro' finally departed from Lisbon at 20h30, her passengers preparing for yet another enchanting evening of romantic dining and dancing out at sea. To make up for the lost time, she sailed full steam ahead, under a fresh force 5 to 6 N-N-E wind, heading swiftly north off the west coast of Portugal.

A day of sailing followed, and when night fell on April Fool's Day, she passed Cape Finesterre under a full moon. Although the night was beautiful and calm, the sea was a little rough.

Most of the passengers were asleep when, at 22h45, catastrophe struck. Although the Fourth Officer had identified the light of a ship some two miles in the distance, he had been confident the Chief Officer on the bridge was keeping watch. But the Chief Officer saw the ship too late to avoid the approaching collision.

Two deep gashes were gouged in the 'Douro's' starboard side when the sharp bow of the Spanish steamship Yrurac Bat plunged into her at full speed, and then again, with the force of the rebound and the regaining momentum of her engines.

Her engines finally stopped, emergency procedures were immediately begun. What is clear from the many accounts gathered by the 'Douro's' researchers is that she was abandoned in a great hurry, and priority given to the well-being of her passengers rather than to saving the valuable contents of her strong room or safe.

The confused and frightened passengers were rounded up from their cabins and the ensuing pandemonium on the deck, and directed to the lifeboats amidst great panic. The women and children were the first to reach safety, followed by the men. Six passengers drowned, but the survivors were later picked up by the steamer Hidalgo of Hull, and taken to La Coruna.

She rapidly began to sink as tons of seawater surged through both gaps and, after a mere 30 minutes, she disappeared below the water to find her final resting place on the ocean floor. The Yrurac Bat suffered a similar fate, leaving a total of 59 passengers and crew from both vessels drowned. True to seafaring tradition, the 'Douro's' Captain Ebenezer C.Kemp, four of the Senior Officers, and the Chief and Second Engineer went down with their ship, together with her dazzling cargo of gold, silver and jewels.

When the 'Douro' wreck was finally discovered, and her treasure brought to light for the first time since 1882, many years of fruitless searching had already been undertaken. However, the last chapter in the saga began in 1993 when Sverker Hallstrom began with his mission of locating and identifying a number of wrecks in the probable area where the elusive ship went down. Huge technological advances in deep sea salvaging equipment meant that the puzzle of the 'Douro's' whereabouts would finally be resolved - using state of the art sonar and ROV operations.

But it was also Hallstrom's determination to find her - helped by a liberal degree of pragmatism and an open mind to risk-taking - that resulted in his eventual triumph.

Hallstrom was introduced to the 'Douro' by the researcher, Nigel Pickford, in 1991, and received from him a comprehensive file of information pertaining to the wreck. However, it was up to Hallstrom to do further research in order to determine a search area. It was obvious to him that his quest for more in-depth information should include looking to resources in Spain, Portugal and even Brazil. He managed to find some particularly useful material in La Coruna's "La Boz de Galicia", a newspaper established a few months prior to the 'Douro's' tragic collision (and which is still in print today). The publication stated the time that the 'Yrurac Bat' passed Sisargas, information that allowed Hallstrom to narrow down the search area considerably.

He was also fortunate to befriend some of the local fisherman in the harbor where his survey vessel - the 'Scorpio' - was anchored, and who imparted valuable information known to them about the area. Trawler skippers across the world are deeply familiar with their stretch of sea, and usually have maps showing all the obstacles where they might come into trouble. With their help, he was able to establish a list (with precise Decca positions) of all the known wrecks in the area.

One of the fishermen in particular, Francisco, verified the names - and sometimes the estimated age - of the wrecks that Hallstrom had already picked up on his sonar. He was also occasionally able to indicate the sizes and vague identities of some of these wrecks, which Hallstrom found to be most interesting and useful in his search.

With this information at hand, Hallstrom could begin the lengthy process of locating each of these wrecks - one after the other. Their identification would be aided by means of a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle - a tethered robot equipped with video cameras, powerful lights, a manipulator, sector-scanning sonar, a dredging pump etc). But in spite of this, locating and identifying the 'Douro' would still prove to be one of the toughest projects of his entire career.

In the meantime, an agreement had been entered into with Deep Sea Worker (a joint venture between English company Blue Water Recovery and French company Louis Dreyfus), the operators of a unique drill ship of the same name. 'Deep Sea Worker' had the advantage of being able to delve into waters deeper than 300 meters, utilising the tools and technologies developed for the offshore oil drilling industry. Although they were not involved in the search and identification phase, they would enter the picture once Hallstrom had positively identified the 'Douro'.

In 1993, Hallstrom began his search off the coast of Cape Finisterre using his survey ship 'Benjamin', fully equipped with satellite navigation systems, towed sonars, ROVs and the like.

Many ships have suffered a similar fate to the 'Douro' along this notorious coast, and it was these Hallstrom encountered over the next two years. He mistook one such wreck - of about the same period, and in the right location - to be the 'Douro'. In an exciting instance, Hallstrom's ROV had brought the image of a ship's bell to the screen - thought to be that of the 'Douro'. However, once the bell was recovered and its grimy surface cleaned, it was clearly a case of mistaken identity. The bell belonged to the 'Gijon', a ship which had sunk after colliding with the 'Laxham' in 1884. But rather than experiencing defeat, Hallstrom was challenged to take a closer look at the other wrecks he had already found in the area.

There was one in particular which caught his attention. In spite of the potentially hazardous old fishing nets covering it, Hallstrom, from his ship, 'Scorpio', sent his ROV to take a closer look at the gutted, shapeless wreck. All that seemed to remain was a hollow heap of iron and debris; no bell or bow, and no twice-gashed starboard side with which to recognise the ship. The remains of the engines and the shafts at least enabled him to discern head from tail.

Then luck came to the rescue. Someone in the control room noticed on the video screen what appeared to be a crockery plate wedged into the muddy bottom. The new ROV had been equipped for just such an occurrence, delicately using its 'arms' to scoop the plate - bearing the name of the Royal Mail Steampacket Company - into a special basket.

The 'Douro' was found at last!

Days later, the 'Deep Sea Worker' was engaged, bringing up a load of crockery plates, cups and milk pots all dutifully bearing the ship's name, as well as wine bottles, portholes and a magnificent pair of bronze dolphins.

A great and memorable moment soon followed when, amidst the mud, the salvors laid their eyes on literally thousands of golden coins brought up from the seabed. Luck further came to the fore when it was discovered that the gold was still closely assembled and there was no scattering.

Two days later, the salvage master estimated a probable - and previously unheard of - 93% recovery, which included several numbered and un-numbered gold bars. The treasure was taken to Jersey, under a fair British law, and officially declared to the appropriate authorities.

A year and a day was the waiting period required under this law for the releasing of the gold, subject to other claims, by the 'Receiver of Wreck.' Four months after this period had lapsed, the treasure was auctioned in London by Christie's-owned Spink and Son, the renowned coin auctioneers. The sale was a triumph. A large quantity of the coins - among which were many extremely rare Brazilian and Portuguese coins, some dating to the 1700's - were sold.