TREASURE SHIP
DIVERS have found the wreck of a sunken Nazi warship they believe might contain the legendary £250m Amber Room treasures.
The rusting remains of the German cruiser Karlsruhe have been discovered at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Poland.
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Tomasz Stachura from the diving group revealed: "Looks like after months of searching, we finally came across the Karlsruhe steamer wreckage.
"We've been searching for this ship for over a year. The shipwreck was found at the bottom of the Baltic Sea several dozen kilometers north of Ustka."
He revealed the vessel - which was sunk in 1945 - was discovered fairly intact at a depth of 88 meters (290ft).
And, enticingly, it contains multiple unopened crates with "unknown contents."
Stachura said the discovery may even "provide groundbreaking information on the disappearance of the legendary Amber Chamber."
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The fate of the magnificent Amber Room has tantalised generations of treasure hunters and historians.
A gift to Russia’s Peter the Great from the King of Prussia in 1716, it was once considered an eighth wonder of the world.
Some 55 square metres (590 sq ft), it contained over six tonnes of amber resin and gold leaf, worth an estimated £250m today.
In 1941 it was plundered from the Catherine Palace near St Petersburg by the Nazis and taken to Königsberg Castle in what is now Kaliningrad and never seen again.
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Despite dozens of Indiana Jones-style searches for the treasure across Eastern Europe, its exact location remains a mystery.
In 2017, the Sun Online reported how a trio of treasure hunter claimed they had tracked down the haul to a cave in the Hartenstein hills near Dresden.
Another report claimed the treasure may have been hidden in secret a secret bunker near the Polish town of Wegorzewo.
Now divers believe the Karlsruhe - not to be confused with a ship of the same name recently discovered off the coast of Norway - could help solve the mystery.
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Stachura told Polish media: "The German steamer Karlsruhe, which after Gustloff, Goyi and Steuben was another unit participating in Operation Hannibal.
"It set off on her last journey from Pilawa on April 12, 1945 and was the last ship to leave Królewiec before the Russians took it.
"She brought 1,083 refugees and 360 tons of cargo with her. She set off on her last journey under a strong escort.
"Sunken April 13, 1945 in the morning. Only 113 people were saved.
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"We don't want to get excited, but if the Germans were to take the Amber Chamber across the Baltic Sea, then Karlsruhe Steamer was their last chance."
Tomasz Zwara from Baltictech added: "Documentation shows that the Karlsruhe was leaving the port in a great hurry and with a large load.
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"All this put together stimulates the imagination."
Treasure hunters believe they've found the £250m Amber Room
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