Divers began diving to the sunken ship in search of the Amber Room

A group of Polish amateur divers Baltictech has today started exploring the Karlsruhe ship, discovered at the bottom last year, reports the Daily Mail. They believe that there may be artifacts from the Amber Room, which once adorned the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. During World War II, the room was dismantled by the Germans and taken to Königsberg, after which traces of the treasure were lost.

It is known that on April 13, 1945, before sinking, the Karlsruhe left Konigsberg accompanied by two minesweepers. The ship was used to evacuate the German army fleeing from defeat during the so-called Operation Hannibal. Documents from that time indicate that the Karlsruhe left the port in a great hurry, with a cargo of 360 tons and 1,083 people on board. Only 113 people managed to escape after the bombing and sinking of the ship.

An escort of minesweepers may indicate that there was some valuable material cargo on board. Diver leader Tomek Stachura says: “It was in Königsberg that the Amber Chamber was last seen. If the Germans were going to ferry it across the Baltic Sea, then Karlsruhe was their last chance".

The ship lies at the bottom at a depth of about 90 meters. During the descent of the underwater robots, many cargo containers were found in the holds, as well as military equipment, porcelain and objects that may represent what remains of "picture frames and rotting canvases". Divers intend to make 12 dives a day in groups of three - they will have half an hour to open the containers and inspect their contents before surfacing. They will then document and create an inventory of what they find. If something really interesting is found, the Polish government services will join the search.