Russian divers find wreck of SS ship 'Boy Federsen' believed to be carrying artworks looted by Nazis - video

With the end of April, a group of Russian technical divers reported the location of the vessel SS “Boy Federsen”. The wreck is located on the bottom of the Black Sea near Crimea, 15 Mm from the city of Eupatoria and lies at a depth of 90 metres. The ship was sunk on 10 August 1943, by a Soviet submarine with air support. To this day it has not been possible to establish whether the information about the treasure in its holds is true, but now it seems to be only a matter of time.

After 74 years since the sinking, the wreck of the steamer SS “Boy Federsen” has finally been located. All thanks to a group of Russian technical divers – Russian Underwater Research Expedition, who managed to track the vessel in the waters surrounding the Crimean Peninsula.

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In connection with the find, most excitement surrounds the fact that the ship was most likely used to transport artworks looted by the Germans during World War II.

The discovery was made by accident. Russian divers were combing the waters in the area in connection with the search for the Soviet submarine D-4, which, according to available information, sank in December 1943 after running into a German mine. However, instead of seeing the expected and characteristic shape of a submarine wreck, the eyes of the researchers appeared a picture that surprised everyone. Instead of the hunter, one of his alleged victims was found.

SS “Boy Federsen” was built in 1914 in Germany at the Bremen shipyard Bremer Vulkan, as SS “Anhalt”. Its first owner was Norddeutscher Lloyd – Ndl. In 1919 the ship was given to the British as a part of war reparations. Till 1921 the owner remained Great Britain. Then the ship went into the private sector, bought by the British shipowner Hugh Hogarth & Sons Ltd.

In the same year the vessel came into the hands of the Spanish owner from Bilbao – Aznar Eduardo y Cia, who renamed her SS “Aya Mendi”. After four years of sailing under the Spanish flag, the steamer again found herself in the fleet of Norddeutscher Lloyd – Ndl. Also at that time she returned to the name SS “Anhalt”. This state of affairs lasted until 1932.

Then the ship was bought by Soviets and renamed to “Kharkov”. The ship almost sank during the heavy storm, when it carried the grain transport from Great Britain to the Soviet Union. Then in 1943 Soviet soldiers damaged it, during the siege of the port of Nikolaev. However, the Germans managed to repair and restore the vessel to full working order. At that time it also got its last name – SS “Boy Federsen”.

According to researchers, as many as 650,000 works of art looted by the Germans in Europe may have been on board the steamer. In the territory of the Soviet Union, it has been estimated that 173 museums containing the historical legacy of the Russian Empire were plundered. To date, however, the number of all works of art looted by the German Third Reich during World War II has not been determined.

Further dives, documentation and possible exploration of the interior of the wreck, are scheduled for the second half of May 2017. So it remains to arm ourselves with patience and soon we should have knowledge about the cargo carried by the SS “Boy Federsen”.

Source: ntv.ru