A chest supposed to contain nearly 110 million euros of nazi gold was discovered by English treasure hunters.
The trunk is located in the wreck of a WWII German cargo ship, the SS Minden, found off the coast of Iceland. Historians agree that the ship was heading to Germany when it was intercepted by the British cruiser HMS Calypso, before sinking into the depths in September 1939, shortly after the start of the war. To be more precise, Adolf Hitler reportedly ordered Captain Minden to scuttle the ship to prevent the Royal Navy from taking control of the cargo. For the SS Minden, which departed from Rio de Janeiro, was carrying gold from the “Banco Germanico” bank, a South American subsidiary of the German bank Dresdner.
110 million euros: this is the estimated value of the treasure in the trunk, according to Advanced Marine Services, the British treasure hunting crew who discovered the wreck in April 2017. With the search having been suspended, nothing is confirmed yet. The explorers were spotted by the Icelandic authorities as they sailed aboard a Norwegian research vessel rented for the occasion, without legal authorization to search the seas. When questioned by the Coast Guard about their presence in Icelandic waters, the crew provided conflicting explanations, thus raising the suspicions of the authorities. Following a legal battle over the ownership of the said treasure, the Icelandic Environment Agency (Umhvervisstofnun) finally decided on 11 October 2017 to allow Advanced Marine Services to continue its research on the wreck of the SS Minden until May 1, 2018. It’s a safe bet to say that it shouldn’t take too long to learn more about this treasure.
ATCBG/EYS/ATC
