# Lords Of Fortune

Our planned summer, 2026 recovery of the GOAT, the Greatest Of All Treasures, from the RMS Republic.

## Elevator pitch
We are recovering the greatest treasure ever lost at sea.

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/lords.of.fortune.llc
- Entity ID: wefunder:company:48825
- Last updated: 2026-06-09T02:01:37Z
- Generated at: 2026-06-09T02:14:22Z

## Quick facts
- A truly historic salvage of one of the most famous treasure ships, the Royal Mail Steamship Republic
- We have solved the mystery why RMS Republic carried "riches beyond most men's wildest dreams."
- The US Government had claimed "all" the gold aboard. Their claim has been dismissed with prejudice.
- After 40 years of litigation, 10 years with the DoJ, we now own RMS Republic and her cargoes.
- Now it's time to validate our proof with our recovery. The world will be watching as history is made.

## Active fundraises
- wefunder:fundraise:42797: 4(a)(6) open (USD)

## FAQ
1. **Martin, upon learning of your startup, I watched all nine episodes of your show: Billion Dollar Wreck. Your determination in recovering the contents of the RMS Republic is amazing. You, your family, and your investors have made many sacrifices in the quest to accomplish your o...**
   - We had thought about cutting up the vessel into sections and recovering it all. Unfortunately, she has lost virtually all structural integrity. There are also several hundred tons of rotting food provisions, almost a biohazard - where would we bring it? Our research on the location of the cargoes within the ship is now extensive. We now know with certainty the location of the Second Class Baggage Room where we believe the 45 tons of Russian State Bank gold was stored, and we have a very high ...
2. **Seems like a high adventure movie taking place with all types of dangers lurking under the sea with a pot of treasure IF things work out. If things do work out what would investors expect to make on their investments? Would you return 65% of revenue of treasure after expenses ...**
   - Hi Richard, We plan to pay 6X on your investment from 65% of revenue, whatever revenue we generate from the sale of recovered cargo. We plan on selling off the $800,000 US Navy coin-monies as soon as practicable. That cargo has been appraised at $150M to $340M. We are simultaneously making available a Reg. D 506(c) offering available only to Accredited Investors at our website https://LordsOfFortune.com. There the minimum investment is $25,000 for a .05% of the monetized cargo. If only the Na...
3. **Hello Martin, If I was to invest 1000 dollars and the navy gold was recovered in the amount of 200 Million what may my investment be worth? How much do you hope to fundraise through wefunder? How much would you hope to raise from accredited investors? Thanks**
   - If we are successful, a $1000 investment through Wefunder will return 6X or $6000 within two (2) years of recovery (by October, 2026). 6X was the same paid out to investors in the famous and very successful HMS Edinburgh salvage, a WWII British Cruiser carrying 5 tons of gold bars. At the 6X for the Wefunder, that is still one of the largest returns for "treasure" investors; I don't think you can find many/any other investment opportunities, treasure or not, that will pay 6X over two years. O...
4. **Capt. Bayerle, can you expound on your timeline please? Specifically, when do you intend to initiate the dive; time to recover all valuable cargoes; preservation & logging; and eventual sale of the haul in full or part. Thank you.**
   - Our 2025 plans are to be on-site June 1, 2025. Our Operational Plan can be found at: LordsOfFortune.com/r…ery_Plan_v_1.0a.pdf In essence, we need a minimum $5 million for the Excavation Prong, all of which we can raise through a Wefunder Regulation C offering. Once gold is seen, we can debt finance the recovery - however long that may take. Typically, salvages of this size will require several seasons of recovery. We hope to distribute in-kind as soon as practicable the US Navy $800,000 1909 ...
5. **Hi team, Some great adventure here. I hope you guys get to recover both Navy shippiment and Russian bank shippement. Let us say I invest 1000 bucks, I would get a return of 6X if the shippment is recovered. Worst case if it won't be recovered, what will happen to that usd 1000...**
   - There's always a risk-return analysis. Although we believe we have a much lower risk than comparable ventures - we've already found the ship, we now own the ship and cargoes, all future claims are barred by Court order (we've all but eliminated legal risk), we have proven the US Navy cargo (having litigated with the Government for about a decade and won!), we believe that there is a high probability of the existence of the Russian State Bank cargo, and other valuable cargoes (passenger effect...

## Team
- Martin Bayerle (Managing Member)
- Grant Bayerle (General Counsel)
- Timothy D. Barrow (Admiralty Counsel)
- Sebastiaan (Bas) Coppes  (Project Manager)
- Tessa Bayerle (Director of Media Business Development.)

## Q&A
- Q: Is the current offer (May 2022) for the 2023 recovery season? Were you able to raise the funds needed for the 2022 season? Are you still planning to begin operations on/around June 1, 2022?
  - A: Our new schedule, summer 2025! Please see our most recent Newsletter at: https://lordsoffortune.com/reference/LoFNewsletter09-2024.pdf.
  - A: The recovery will happen. It's just a matter of when. Thank you for the support and encouragement.
- Q: Martin, upon learning of your startup, I watched all nine episodes of your show: Billion Dollar Wreck. Your determination in recovering the contents of the RMS Republic is amazing. You, your family, and your investors have made many sacrifices in the quest to accomplish your objectives. As I observed from your experience with the United States legal system, there is mostly no justice occurring in a courtroom and if it does occur, it is mostly a coincidence. I’m making two suggestions concerning your work with the RMS Republic. I am not sure what logistics are needed, but this entire ship should be brought to land and then searched with a fine tooth comb. As Paul Louden-Brown stated in episode 9: “Can they keep some of the gold?” I agree with his comment. Martin, I believe that you would receive investment from the most risk-taking investors should they gain a percentage of any gold removed from the RMS Republic.
  - A: We had thought about cutting up the vessel into sections and recovering it all. Unfortunately, she has lost virtually all structural integrity. There are also several hundred tons of rotting food provisions, almost a biohazard - where would we bring it? Our research on the location of the cargoes within the ship is now extensive. We now know with certainty the location of the Second Class Baggage Room where we believe the 45 tons of Russian State Bank gold was stored, and we have a very high degree of confidence as to the locations of the Specie (for the US Navy payroll) and Mail Rooms (for registered mail). As for the legal questions, we now own the RMS Republic and her cargoes. We litigated with the US Government for almost a decade on their claim that they owned "all" the gold aboard; we had them dismissed with prejudice. All future claims, too, are barred by the Court. Aside from our personal and Company tax obligations, we (the Company and our Investors) should be able to keep it all; that issue has already been adjudicated. Regarding investment, our WeFunder "testing the waters" proposal, we would pay 6X, which was the payout of the historic and one of the most successful salvages of about 5 tons of gold recovered from the British WWII light cruiser HMS Edinburgh. We have a concurrent Regulation D 506(c) offering available only to accredited investors at our LordsOfFortune.com website, structured on an equity basis in our company.
- Q: Thank you for addressing my first question, Capt. Bayerle. As a follow on, let me know if I am reading this correctly - investments made now and prior to 2022 launch will be dedicated to the 2022 dive season. Treasures (if any) recovered during the 2022 dive season will be catalogued and earnings disbursed amongst investors after proper curation, but only if you choose to liquidate the assets. If nothing is recovered in 2022, investors are out of luck, and you'll solicit a new batch of investors for the 2023 season. Am I reading that correctly? Thank you
  - A: Yes, monies invested will be applied to our recovery plan for 2025. Here, we know precisely our target area and costs and time to excavate, to clear the whole section of the ship to the gold chambers. Here's our recent survey from this summer, and our intended target area: drive.google.com/fil…/view?usp=drive_web We have a minimum raise of $5 million to complete the excavation phase, and we believe we can finance the balance of the recovery with debt financing at market-competitive loan rates - once gold is seen! - regardless of how long the recovery takes. Remember, we have two (2) cargoes identified: 1. the US Navy coin monies shipment; and 2. the much larger Russian State Bank shipment. Given comparable salvages, almost all have been multi-year efforts. We plan to distribute in-kind each year, less any cargo we might have to pledge for loan security to sustain operations. Yes, allowing one year to curate (as you indicated). So, first distributions for recoveries in 2025 will take place about one year after recovery, in 2026. As a result, our investors positions will remain unchanged, and distribution is net of costs to complete the recovery. The question is, of course, will we recover anything? Can the gold cargoes be found within the section of the ship where we will be excavating and can the cargoes be retrieved profitably? So, hopefully, we hit the gold as planned, no further investors are needed (since we debt finance once gold is seen for however long the recovery extends), and your interest is maintained. I am impressed with your question!
- Q: Is everything still on track for this spring 2025? Any more hurdles prior to execution. What is the anticipated start date, now that we have breached the new year. Thank you
  - A: June 2026. You shoukd have received our Newsletters, which will keep you up to date.
- Q: Your new schedule is set for June 2025. Is this solely dependent on you raising the 5 million from wefunder to start the exploration in that timeframe? What happens if you don't reach that 5 million goal by then? When did you initially start raising funds for this exploration? Super excited on this one, just want a better understanding on the likelihood of moving forward. Thanks.
  - A: Hi Shawn, I am sure our Newsletters have kept you up-to-date. The new schedule, this summer 2026 - God willing.
- Q: Hello, Could you please provide an update on where things stand? Thank you sir.
  - A: I am organizing for a 2025 recovery. Our current September 2024 Newsletter can be found at: https://lordsoffortune.com/reference/LoFNewsletter09-2024.pdf Thank you for asking. The recovery will happen. It's just a matter of when. Thank you for your support and encouragement.
- Q: In a previous statement, you said you expected to reach treasure in summer of 2022. Given your research is on target and the dive goes as expected, is this still a realistic expectation? Or is funding going to delay your 06/01/22 start?
  - A: I am organizing for a 2025 recovery. Our current September 2024 Newsletter can be found at: https://lordsoffortune.com/reference/LoFNewsletter09-2024.pdf The recovery will happen. It's just a matter of when. Thank you for your support and encouragement.
- Q: Have you provided any further information on the details regarding the ship? e.g. it genuinely has the gold that you say it has and that it is 100% Republic ship.
  - A: 100% both. See our Data Room at: https://abundantialp.com/abundantia-lp-seed-round-data-room/
- Q: I love the idea of potentially getting a piece from the ship. I see the early bird terms say you can get a piece of coal or something of that nature, but I also see the $2500 perk also say the same. If I would invest $100 would I still have the possibility of receiving a piece from the ship (due to the early bird bonus) or is that only for the $2500? Thank you for the information and the inspiration! -Brody
  - A: If we were to provide a piece of the ship and a6X return, you would have a risk-free investment. The piece of the ship would be worth more than your $100 investment. At an investment if $2,500, we all benefit.
- Q: Deleted. Question about tax forms answered by Wefunder Support.
- Q: If the 500K goal isn’t Met before recovery season around June ‘25 will this campaign/investment use what funds it has obtained ? Or will it delay until it gets the full 500k ?
  - A: WE hope to close before operations begin this year. The minimum Wefdubderr requires to close is $250,000 in investor inquiries. So, we're pretty close.
- Q: Is the recovery still slotted for June of 2025? If not when is the anticipated recovery at this point. Thank you
  - A: June, 2026, God willing.
- Q: How long is the life of the agreement where the investors will be fully paid the intitial investment plus the 6X return?
  - A: We have a two-year lock-up period, to allow sufficient time to begin to market our our recovery. So, you should receive your share soon thereafter.
- Q: I am impressed by the vision and potential of your Wefunder project. As an investor with a keen interest in innovative ventures, I believe there is a significant opportunity to connect your project with a network of investors who are actively seeking promising opportunities. I would be delighted to facilitate an introduction to investor organizations that align with your project's goals. Let’s explore how we can collaborate to drive your project’s success.
  - A: We have still not closed on our 2026 recovery budget - and remain open to all opportunities.
- Q: The payout is limited to a 500% return. Given the risk of the operation (investors losing everything), will there be revisions to investment terms in the future for investors to instead own an actual share of the profits rather than being limited to a 500% return on investment? We don't know when we will receive payments (given how long resolving complex legal claims may take, it can very well be years before anyone of us investors receive a penny). By the time investors would receive payments, our 500% return (priced in inflating fiat currency terms), will inflate away (especially in a de-dollarizing world). It's a great story and I love the heart of the expedition, I hope to see the team’s success, but as an investor risking my money that I work really hard for, I find it hard to invest in a high risk operation as virtually a creditor, if I can simply invest in alternative high risk ventures, like precious metal miners, that give you an actual share in their business profits. Having an actual share, or even a partial claim over the recovered precious metals, would help with the incentives, resolving concerns about inflation. Will we investors see an improvement in investment terms for this high risk operation? (example why I'm hesitating: $500,000 is being raised. $500,000 x 600% = $3,000,000 payout to investors. $3,000,000 cost of equity / $200,000,000 lower range (non-conservative) estimate/worth of the RMS's recovery = investors only being awarded 1.5% of the operation. If we investors experience accelerated inflation, and have a case stuck in legal conflict for years, we very well can lose 15% of our investment/year if the world continues to de-dollarize (even more in a hyperinflation scenario). A $3,000,000 payout in 5 years at that 15% rate would be worth roughly $1,000,000... while the worth of the recovery would increase from $200,000,000 to $1,000,000,000... meaning in an inflationary environment after 5 years, investors would only yield 0.1% of the recovery, and 200% gross return/ 100% return on investment)
  - A: Hello Michael, I am very impressed with your analysis! First, the current WeFunder promotion only samples investor interest. So, no money must be collected until we file with the SEC and open it once $250,000 in investment interest has been achieved. Once that happens, the timeframe will be quick from recovery to disbursement. We already have title to the wreck and contents - having litigated with the US Government for over a decade and defeating their claim to "all" the gold aboard. We also have a court order barring all future claims. Of course, someone will always sue, but they'll have major hurdles to overcome. The US Government's claim, the original owner, has been dismissed with prejudice. So, the years of litigation typically following salvage ventures have already been traversed. For more information on our current status and operational planning, see this month's, our September 2024 Newsletter, at: https://lordsoffortune.com/reference/LoFNewsletter09-2024.pdf I like your analysis! Regards, Capt. Martin Bayerle MBA