Russian Cruiser Found After 113 Years Could Hide Gold

Shinil Group reported on July 15, 2018 that it had found the Dmitrii Donskoii, a Russian armored cruiser ship that was sunk near Ulleungdo Island of South Korea in a battle that took place 113 years ago.

The South Korean salvage firm used two manned submersibles to spot the wreck and confirm its identity. South Korean news reports have claimed that it held gold reserves from other Russian ships damaged in the Battle of Tsushima. Others doubt that the gold would have been stored on a ship in imminent danger.

The exploration team found a large amount of iron boxes in the stern and will take measures to preserve them. It is within these boxes where some believe lost gold could be stored, if it exists.

A DeepWorker 2000 submersible is raised from the water after identifying the Donskoii.

The stern of Donskoii was first discovered at 1.3 kilometers off Ulleungdo Island at a depth of 434 meters. Dmitrii Donskoii, the first-class armored cruiser of the Russian Baltic Fleet, sailed the oceans for 20 years. In May 1905 it participated in the Battle of Tsushima, where 38 Baltic ships and 89 Japanese ships battled. Dmitrii Donskoii, a 5,800-ton ironclad cruiser, was one of the 38 main Baltic fleet vessels that departed from the Baltic Sea.

The Donskoii battleship was discovered off the coast of Ulleungdo after 113 years.

The name can be clearly seen in this image taken by the exploration team.

The Shinil Group exploration team used two Nuytco DeepWorker’s to explore the wreck and found that it matched the Donskoii's sail plan. A second exploration was conducted on 15 July, and the team photographed the stern, which confirmed the ship name as Donskoii.

In addition to the clear images of the stern, there were 203mm cannons and 152mm long-distance guns, a number of machine guns, anchors, two stacks, three masts, wooden decks and armor, all of which helped confirm its identity.

The bottom of Donskoii is about 40 degrees on the slope of the seabed with its stern 380 meters below the water level, and its bow is at 430 meters. One-third of the stern is bombarded and the hull is severely damaged. However, the upper deck of the wooden hull is almost untouched. The armor on the side of the hull is also well preserved, while the anchors, guns and machine guns remain in place. In addition, all three of the masts and the two chimneys are broken, there was also a partial attacked trail of marking on the sides.

A gun aboard the sunken Donskoii, as filmed by the exploration team.

The exploration team of the Shinil Group is under the leadership of JD Engineering, a marine exploration company in Korea, and assisted by Nuytco, a Canadian marine exploration company. The team closely analyzed and compared the images and photos of Donskoii, taken on July 14 and 15, with the hull plan, and released the data externally on the 17th.