19 Jul Russian Shipwreck Found Of The Coast Of Korea With $133 Billion Worth Of Gold On Board

In our world of technology and innovation, it seems that there are few things left which have yet to be discovered. But there is one part of our world that has refused to give up all of its secrets: the ocean. From the lost city of Atlantis to the mysterious whereabouts of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, even today, the vast expanses of the ocean largely remain a mystery.

Perhaps it’s for this reason that stories of the Seven Seas still fascinate us, especially when they concern hidden treasure. The open ocean is still daunting even on modern vessels, so it’s fascinating to think of the trips which people would have taken in the past – and terrifying to imagine just how easily they would have lost their lives. A fact responsible for countless shipwrecks.

But one wreck which has finally been uncovered from the ocean’s murky depths is the Russian warship Dimitrii Donskoi. It was discovered off the coast of South Korea and sank after the battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War.

The ship met her fate off the island of Ulleungdo in 1905 when it was deliberately sunk to avoid it falling into Japanese hands.

However, while the historical relevance of the Dimitrii Donskoi is interesting enough, what makes this a truly remarkable find is its cargo: the gold supplies of the entire Second Pacific Squadron, worth $133 billion at today’s prices.

And because this fortune was Russian property, a Russian campaign group as asked for its return as a “goodwill gesture”.

Yaroslav Livanskiy, an official of the Russian Public Movement to Commemorate Those Who Died Defending the Motherland, was one of the first people to request that the fortune be returned to its rightful owners.

Realizing that the ship was a real-life treasure trove, divers had been looking for the wreck for years and they finally made the discovery on Saturday at a depth of 1,400ft (434m) around a mile off the coast of Ulleungdo.

Livanskiy, who is also head of a salvage group in eastern Russia, said, “The cruiser is a priceless find for Russia, an invaluable relic, a symbol of our heroic and tragic past, a part of [the] military history of Russia.”

“Therefore whatever was discovered on board of the cruiser is inseparable from the overall value of the find.”

The wreck was not easily identifiable at first, but the teams believed it was the Dimitrii Donskoi because its sail plan was similar to that of the long-lost ship, which contained three sails and two chimney stacks and was powered by wind and coal.

Take a look inside this sunken treasure chest for yourself: 

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It was confirmed to be the Dimitrii Donskoi the next day when the ship’s name was discovered written in Cyrillic across its stern – a part of the ship that divers described as being in very poor condition. They also added that the ship’s hull had partially split, but despite this extensive damage, its wooden deck was largely intact after 113 years underwater.

The divers also made a point of documenting the ship’s armor. Pictured below are its remarkably well-preserved cannons.

But what about the ship’s gold? Where was it discovered and how easily will it be to recover? It was naturally found in the ship’s hold where it has rested since 1905 in large iron boxes which the divers were unable to open.

However, plans are now being put in place to raise the ship and its fortune by companies from China, Canada, and the UK.

According to Shinil Group, the Dimitrii Donskoi could be carrying up to 200 tons of gold.

If this belief proves to be correct, it will also be used to do good in the ship’s final resting place with 10% being donated to develop Ulleungdo, which is largely uninhabited but an important tourist destination South Korea.

Part of this development would include a museum dedicated to the Dimitrii Donskoi, the Telegraph reported.

In addition to this, Russia would be gifted 10 percent of the treasure. There are also plans being lain to use the money on projects which include a railway connecting Russia and South Korea that runs through North Korea.

Launched in 1883, the Dimitrii Donskoi’s early life was spent in the Mediterranean. Then, in 1904, it was deployed to Russia’s Second Pacific Squadron when Japan destroyed the majority of Russia’s Far Eastern forces.

In May 1905, the ship had been guarding transport vessels at the rear of the convoy when it was intercepted by a Japanese fleet.

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The conflict which ensued was eventually dubbed the Battle of Tsushima. It came as a huge blow to Russia which had 21 of its 38 ships sunk and led to the loss of 4,500 lives. Japan, on the other hand, lost just three ships and 117 lives.

While the Dimitrii Donskoi did manage to escape the battle, whilst the ship was being sailed towards Russia’s far eastern port of Vladivostok, the badly damaged vessel was intercepted by Japanese forces who proceeded to open fire.

This resulted in the deaths of 60 people and the wounding of 120, including Captain Ivan Lebedev, who, realizing that the Dimitrii Donskoi was on a doomed mission, decided to anchor the ship off the coast of  Ulleungdo and order his men ashore.

Captain Lebedev died the following day, and the Dimitrii Donskoi was scuttled (deliberately sunk) while its crew surrendered to Japanese forces. And while this looked like a win for Japan, in reality, this scuttling of the ship saved its fortune.

At the time of its scuttling, the Dimitrii Donskoi was believed to have been carrying gold supplies for the entire Russian flotilla. This money would have been used to pay for port fees and the salaries of crews and their captains.

Because the Dimitrii Donskoi was one of the few Russian ships to escape the Battle of Tsushima, it’s also suspected that smaller stores of gold could have been transferred onto it before they went down, making its treasure trove even larger.

Unfortunately, there have been a number of false claims of the Dimitrii Donskoi’s discovery before, so to prove that this is finally the real deal, a number of Lebedev’s personal effects will be brought to the surface.

So, when will we find out more about the Dimitrii Donskoi’s treasure? Well, RT reported that the salvage operation will begin in October or November of this year and plans are in place to show further finds from the ship to the public in December.

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