"As a precaution, Britain's gold reserves were taken out of the
country. The first shipment was taken by the cruiser H.M.S. Emerald to
Canada to be housed in the vaults at Montreal. Many other ships, both
fast merchantmen and British warships followed with their consignment
of 'fish'' as the precious cargo was called. In all, some seven
billion dollars of 'fish' had been carried across to Canada, and not
one ship was attacked or even shadowed in this biggest financial
transaction in world history."