After running aground and sinking in 1911, the yacht Gunilda slipped beneath the surface without claiming any lives and was quickly forgotten by her wealthy American owners. Resting almost perfectly preserved in roughly three hundred feet of cold water, the wreck remained undisturbed for decades. That changed in 1970, when Fred Broennle, accompanied by his diving instructor and partner Charles King Hague, set out to locate the long-lost vessel.
What began as an extraordinary discovery soon turned into a personal catastrophe. The wreck would drain Broennle financially, lead to the tragic death of King Hague, and irrevocably alter the course of Broennle’s life. Haunted by grief over his partner’s drowning and driven by an overpowering desire to recover the ship, Broennle became consumed by a dream that bordered on obsession: raising Gunilda from the icy depths.
Read The Scuba News Canada Original Article (film screening) on the Gunilda
As his efforts grew increasingly reckless and all-consuming, the story widens to include his son, Tug. Although resentful of the attention his father devoted to the wreck, Tug found himself gradually drawn into the same dangerous fixation. Together, their lives became entangled in a relentless pursuit shaped by ambition, remorse, and an obsession that refused to let go.
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