Divers go looking for lost Russian Imperial gold in lake Baikal
- On 17/06/2009
- In Treasure Hunting / Recoveries
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From Mos News
A deep diving expedition is looking for the legendary gold of the Russian Empire that the counter-revolutionist leader Kolchak allegedly submerged in lake Baikal in the early 20th century.
The operation involving several Mir deep submergence vessels began on Monday, Interfax reports, and continues on Tuesday in spite of heavy rain and wind.
Admiral Kolchak, the leader of the anti-Bolshevik army in Siberia, resisted the Red Army during the civil war that began after the Communist revolution of 1917.
In August 1918 Kolchak's army got possession of half of the Russian Empire's gold reserve, or some 700 million gold rubles.
The gold was shipped further to the west on a train, but much of it disappeared on the way. According to some historians, large portions of the treasure were hidden in the taiga.
One of the versions alleges that the gold sank in lake Baikal after a train crash, and this is the version being followed up by the divers.
Lake Baikal is one of the world's largest pure water lakes, with a coastline longer than 2,000 km, and a maximum depth of 1,637 m.
Civil War Russia gold submarine
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