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Divers Find Sunken Nazi Ship That Could Contain Lost £250m Amber Room Gold

Divers Find Sunken Nazi Ship That Could Contain Lost £250m Amber Room Gold

Chests have been found among the wreckage

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Stunning photos show treasure chests in a Nazi warship at the bottom of the ocean floor.

World War II steamer Karlsruhe sunk back in April 1945 and some believe it may have taken with it the panels from long-lost Amber Room, which are encrusted with amber, gold and other precious stones.

The Amber Room in 1917.
Shutterstock

The £250 million ($335m) Amber Room was a 'dazzling space panelled with tonnes of finely carved amber, gold, and jewels dubbed by some an eighth wonder of the world', according to Radio Free Europe.

It was originally created for King Frederick I of Prussia, all the way back in the 1700s but the treasure disappeared after being looted by Nazis during the war.

Now, experts are hopeful the sunken ship, which was discovered by Polish divers in October, has the remains.

The divers, from Baltictech, say the Karlsruhe is almost intact and have spent the past few months exploring it.

They say they have found pieces that could belong to the Amber Room.

Tomasz Stachura/Baltictech

Tomasz Stachura/Baltictech

The Baltictech team said: "The wreck rests several dozen kilometres north of Ustka at a depth of 88 meters.

"It is practically intact. In its holds, we discovered military vehicles, porcelain and many crates with so far unknown contents.

"This discovery may provide ground-breaking information on the disappearance of the legendary Amber Room, because it was in Königsberg that it was last seen.

"From there, the steamer Karlsruhe set out on its last voyage with a large cargo."

Baltitech continued: "After a thorough inspection of the seabed around Karlsruhe, we were able to confirm the presence of a second wreck, only 550 metres away from 'our' steamer.

Tomasz Stachura/Baltictech

"Further research will show whether it is a unit related to the events of April 13, 1945.

"As we expected, a lot of equipment spilled around the wreck, especially in front of its bow.

"At the bottom, we found ten chests and a lot of other trinkets.

"Some of the chests were open. The content of one of them - special rubber gaskets - gives you hope that they are some valuable items, maybe paintings?"

The team used special electronic equipment to check out the wreckage but say they need to carry out further examination to establish what is in inside the chests and plan on going back in the spring.

Featured Image Credit: Tomasz Stachura/Baltictech

Topics: World News, Interesting