A South Korean salvage team has discovered the wreck of Russian warship Dimitrii Donskoi, 113 years after it sank.
The warship was scuttled off the island of Ulleungdo in 1905 to stop it falling into Japanese hands following the battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War.
The Donskoi is believed to have been carrying the gold supplies of the entire Second Pacific Squadron when it sank, which would be worth $133billion at today's prices.
A Russian campaign group has since demanded that the entire fortune be returned to Moscow as a 'goodwill gesture'.
‘World War Zero’: How Russia’s humiliating defeat in Russo-Japanese war set stage for decades of warfare
One Russian ship, the Petropavlovsk, escaped Port Arthur and was sunk by mines. A second, the Pobeda, had to return to port.
While Japanese attacks were successful at sea, land attacks against Russian forces initially failed.
But at the Battle of Liaoyang, Russia forces sent to support Port Arthur pushed back by Japanese. It also left them with land from where they could fire on Russian ships in Port Arthur bay.
Every ship in Russia’s Pacific fleet was sunk by the end of 1904.
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| The boat's stern and hull are said to be badly damaged, but its upper wooden deck is in good condition with cannon and machine guns (pictured) still in place |
In January 1905, Russian Major General Anatoly Stessel, commander of the Port Arthur garrison, surrendered.
Demoralised Russians had to watch as Japan took control of the Korean peninsula in just a couple of months.
Russia surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese and had to recognise Japanese control of Korean peninsula.
The costly, humiliating series of Russian defeats in the Russo-Japanese War left the Russian Empire demoralized.
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| The ship was escorting transport vessels at the rear of the Second Pacific Squadron when the flotilla was attacked by a much larger Japanese force at the Battle of Tsushima |
Yaroslav Livanskiy, an official of the Russian Public Movement to Commemorate Those Who Died Defending the Motherland, led the calls.
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 military history of Russia.
'Therefore whatever was discovered on board of the cruiser is inseparable from the overall value of the find.'
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| After being crippled during the Battle of Tsushima, the Donskoi was scuttled off the South Korean island of Ullengdo to stop it falling into Japanese hands |
Divers from salvage firm Shinil Group have been searching for the wreck for years and finally located it on Saturday at a depth of 1,400ft (434m) around a mile off the coast of Ulleungdo.
Teams concluded that the wreckage was likely the Donskoi because its sail plan appeared identical to the long-lost ship, which had three sails and two chimney stacks, relying on both wind and coal power to drive it.
A second exploration of the wreck the following day confirmed it to be the Donskoi after the ship's name was spotted written in Cyrillic across its stern.
Divers said the stern of the ship is in a poor condition along with the hull which has partially split, but that the upper wooden deck remains largely intact.
The armour on the side of the hull is well-preserved while the cannons, machine guns, anchor and steering wheel are all still in place.
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| The Donskoi was built in 1883 and spent most of its existence in the Mediterranean before going to the Far East shortly after the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war |
A large number of iron boxes were also discovered in the ship's hold, which may contain the gold, though divers have not yet been able to open them.
Operations are now underway to raise the wreck from the sea bed along with companies from China, Canada and the UK.
Shinil Group believes there could be as much as 200 tons of gold on board the ship, which would be worth around $133.4billion.
Should their hopes prove correct, they have pledged to donate 10 per cent of their find to help develop Ulleungdo, which is a largely uninhabited island but an important tourist destination for South Korea.
Development plans would include a museum dedicated to the ship, according to The Telegraph.
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| Officers on board the Donskoi, including a man believed to be Captain Ivan Lebedev (far right), who was wounded before the warship was scuttled and later died from his injuries |
Another 10 per cent will be gifted to Russia as the owner of the wreck, and would be used on projects such as a railway to connect Russia and South Korea running through North Korea.
The Donskoi was launched in 1883 and spent most of its life operating in the Mediterranean before being deployed to Russia's Second Pacific Squadron in 1904 after much of Russia's Far Eastern forces were destroyed by Japan.
The warship was guarding transport vessels at the rear of the convoy when it was intercepted by a much larger Japanese fleet in May 1905.
What followed became known as the Battle of Tsushima and was disastrous for Russia, with 21 of its 38 ships sunk and 4,500 killed - compared to just three Japanese ships lost and 117 dead.
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| The ship's masts have been completely destroyed as have its chimney stacks. The Donskoi was powered by sails and a coal-fired engine |
The Donskoi escaped the battle itself, though was badly damaged and began steaming for the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok.
Before it could get there it was intercepted by the Japanese, who opened fire.
At least 60 of the crew were killed and 120 more wounded, including Captain Ivan Lebedev, who ordered the ship to anchor off Ulleungdo and took his men ashore.
The following day the ship was scuttled to stop it falling into Japanese hands and the crew surrendered. Captain Lebedev later died of his wounds.
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| In total 60 of the ship's crew were killed and another 120 wounded before Captain Lebedev ordered the boat to stop and its crew to go ashore on Ullengdo |
The Donskoi was believed to have been carrying gold supplies for the entire flotilla, which would have been used to pay port fees and the salaries of crew and captains while at sea.
It is also possible that smaller gold stores kept on board other vessels in the flotilla were transferred to the Donskoi as they went down.
Given a history of false claims about discovering the Donskoi in the past, Shinil Group has promised to bring some of Lebedev's personal effects to the surface as further proof of their discovery.
The salvage operation is scheduled to begin October and November and further finds will be presented to the public in December, RT reported.
