RUSSIA: Divers hunt for artefacts from a Soviet-era train wreck at the bottom of Lake Baikal, in an watery disaster reminiscent of a Siberian Titanic

Record ID: 555955

  • Title: RUSSIA: Divers hunt for artefacts from a Soviet-era train wreck at the bottom of Lake Baikal, in an watery disaster reminiscent of a Siberian Titanic
  • Date: 30th June 2011
  • Summary: IRKUTSK REGION, RUSSIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS SOVIET-ERA LOCOMOTIVE WITH RED STAR SYMBOL ON FRONT BAIKAL TRAIN STATION SIGN ON STATION READING IN RUSSIAN 'BAIKAL' VARIOUS OF SOVIET-ERA HISTORIC TRAIN ON TRACKS NEAR BAIKAL SHORE
  • Embargoed: 15th July 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Accidents,History
  • Reuters ID: LVA5H8ZMQK276IZNCSSL8QRIS3C4
  • Story Text: A group of divers has discovered the remains of an underwater train wreck off the shore of Russia's massive Lake Baikal, in a watery ruin dating back to World War II.
    Baikal, located in south-east Siberia is the oldest and deepest lake in the world, containing 20 percent of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve.
    The lake has long been a draw to divers who are eager to find a lost treasure trove of Russian Imperial gold seized by Admiral Kolchak during the country's Civil War almost a century ago. The treasure was part of the country's gold reserve and was, according to legend, lost in a train wreck in the Lake Baikal region.
    Gold is not what drew members of the local 'Three Dimensions' dive club to the depths of Baikal, however. Agreeing with scientists and historians who say Kolchak's lost treasure is most likely not in the lake, the group of scuba diving enthusiasts say they are more interested in history.
    After researching historical documents and talking to local residents, the club began using sonar equipment to scan an area of the lake bed. When their surveys turned up evidence of a submerged wreck, the group dived in.
    At a depth of 10 metres, the divers began to uncover the scattered remains of a disastrous train wreck - wheels, couplings and splintered wood. After dropping another 35-40 metres, the group discovered a completely intact wooden railway car and other artefacts such as a rusted gun and metal cooking pot.
    Diver Andrei But explained his version of the train wreck, after surveying the site.
    "It's obvious what happened. The wagon is standing on a steep incline. It took a powerful tumble down the hillside and somewhere at 35 metres it just ran into a small cliff and braked. Therefore I assume that the rest of the wagons are around there a little further," But said, adding that the highlight of the dive was uncovering the still-intact train wagon, "This year (we found) a train wreck. The most interesting part is that the wreck is not just parts like wheels and rails, but for the first time we found a whole wagon - a completely intact old train wagon."
    Historical documents do not yield a large amount of information about the wreck, making the 'Three Dimensions' Club's find a unique one.
    Local historian, Pavel Novikov believes the train wreck dates back the Soviet Union - probably occuring during or just after World War II.
    "Judging by the size of the wagon and the fact that it's probably one with four pairs of wheels, it's probably of a Soviet build. Therefore, the catastrophe that brought this wagon to the bottom of Baikal could have happened either in the years of the Second World War - the Great Patriotic - or in the post-war period. From the stories of local residents it's known that there were numerous landslides and collapses and these things didn't just happen once," Novikov said, after seeing underwater pictures of the wreck.
    The find is of particular interest to historians because of its location near the 'Circum-Baikal' (Round-Baikal) railway, which has been called one of the technical wonders of the 20th century.
    Construction of the 'Circum-Baikal' began in 1899 and the track features a complex of tunnels, bridges and arches not found elsewhere in Russia. The railroad, built along the rugged Baikal coastline, is reinforced by retaining walls and shelves carved out of rock.
    Trains began running on the Circum-Baikal in 1905, but Yuliya Danileiko from the Eastern Siberian Railroad Museum said that accidents along the shoreline railroad were frequent and eventually a new route was built when explosives were transported through Siberia during World War II.
    "There were a lot of train derailments and a lot of accidents, so a lot of artificial galleries and tunnels and there were retaining walls constructed. Of course during the time of the war - when the Great Patriotic War began, they began to build an alternative route, Irkutsk-Slyudyanka, because God forbid, a bomb could have dropped on the Circum-Baikal railroad, the Trans-Siberian would have stopped," Danileiko said.
    The Circum-Baikal railway is now a slow-moving rail route, employing historic trains which is popular with tourists and well-known for its panoramic views.
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