Does Russian Shipwreck Contain Billions in Gold Bullion?
The 15 July discovery of a shipwreck from the Russo-Japanese War would be exciting news on any given day. But when the sunken vessel is reported to contain 200 tons of gold bullion, it becomes 133 billion times more exciting—133 billion dollars, that is.
Is this warship really the underwater-archaeology equivalent of a pot o’ gold? That’s what the discoverers purport—yet Russia already is throwing a wet blanket on any windfall hopes.
As reported in the Telegraph, an international consortium spearheaded by the Shinil Group, a South Korean salvage outfit, found the wreck of the 6,200-ton Russian Imperial Navy cruiser Dmitrii Donskoi off the island of Uelleungdo, 75 miles east of the Korean Peninsula.
Launched in 1883, the cruiser was scuttled on 29 May 1905 in the wake of the Battle of Tsushima. Some of the crew from the badly damaged ship had been successfully put ashore at Uelleungdo; the Japanese took the rest prisoner. For 113 years, the ship’s remains have lain dormant beneath 1,400 feet of water.
And by some accounts, when she went under, she was carrying 5,500 boxes of gold bullion—the entire gold supply of the Russian Second Pacific Squadron.
Others have sought, and thought they’d found, the wreck of the Dmitrii Donskoi before. When its alleged discovery was announced in 2000, the press reported that “gold fever” had gripped South Korea, and that it was “the biggest maritime discovery of all time—if it is true.” That wave of excitement was followed by another claim of discovery in 2003. But in this current go-round, robotic sub footage and the testimony of divers in submersibles strongly indicate that the Shinil Group and its consortium of China-Canada-U.K. backers really have struck gold—figuratively speaking, at least.
But what about the literal gold? The salvage team believes it’s there, as does the South Korean media. According to the Daily Independent, “South Korean newspapers have dug up unidentified historical records which, they say, show the Dmitrii Donskoi had been carrying a huge cargo of gold bars.” But Russia is putting the skids on any celebrating. The Central Naval Museum in Saint Petersburg has scoffed at the idea that such a treasure hoard would have been cached in such a fashion and denies that any such evidence could exist.
If the treasure hunters are right and the Russians wrong, 50 percent of the riches will go to Russia and 10 percent to South Korea to finance the transformation of Uelleungdo into a tourism spot. But standing between the salvors and their dreams is a massive, possibly prohibitive, up-front down payment required to even start salvaging. And then, of course, there will be the inevitable rival claimants to the bonanza, if found. The story of the wreck of the Dmitrii Donskoi has only just begun.
50 Years Later, Marine Hero to Receive Medal of Honor
Sergeant Major John Canley (U.S. Marine Corps, Retired), a Vietnam War veteran renowned for his death-defying, life-saving efforts during the brutal Battle of Hue in January 1968, learned on 9 July that he will receive the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions.
The official word came by way of a personal phone call from the President of the United States. “He just said, ‘Congratulations. You waited long enough. We made it happen,’” the 80-year-old Canley said, describing his phone call from President Donald Trump to the Ventura County Star. (Canley is a resident of Oxnard, California.) The announcement was the culmination of a lengthy effort by 15 of Canley’s fellow 1st Battalion Marines and his congresswoman, Representative Julia Brownley (D-CA).
Canley already had received the Navy Cross, two Bronze Stars, and a Purple Heart for his actions. As a gunnery sergeant with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, he took charge during a rapidly worsening situation in the fierce fighting outside Hue during the early phase of the Tet offensive in 1968 (see “Tet’s Main Event,” pp. 22–27, and “Acts of Valor,” pp. 54–57, February). With his company commander felled by wounds, Canley rose to the occasion with alacrity, displaying leadership and courage in the face of withering enemy fire, rescuing several Marines, enduring multiple shrapnel wounds, and keeping his company together through the siege that followed. As his Navy Cross citation reads, “Gunnery Sergeant Canley lent words of encouragement to his men and exhorted them to greater efforts as they drove the enemy from its fortified emplacement.”
Earlier efforts to see Canley receive the nation’s highest military honor had come to naught, and then the hurdle became the rule that the Medal of Honor must be given within five years of the action that warranted it. This year, Brownley succeeded in getting a House resolution passed that paved the way for the five-year rule to be waived and for the President to bestow the award. And finally, the goal was achieved—fittingly, on the 50th anniversary of that fateful year of 1968.
John Ligato, a private first class during the Battle of Hue, was among those who had long lobbied to see his gunnery sergeant receive the honor he deserved. “I was always convinced that he deserved the Medal of Honor,” Ligato told the Ventura County Star. “In fact, he probably deserved two or three.”
What’s Up at the NHHC
Baseball Exhibit Celebrates Navy Connection
The National Museum of the U.S. Navy (NMUSN) at the Washington Navy Yard recently opened a new baseball-themed exhibit, “Playball—Navy and the National Pastime.” The exhibit was timed to coincide with Major League Baseball’s 2018 All-Star Game, played on 17 July at nearby Nationals Park.
“Playball” explores the relationship between baseball and the U.S. Navy from its earliest years through today. The exhibit highlights the role of fitness in the early Navy, leading to the incorporation of baseball into the fleet, the game during times of war, and the inclusion of women and minorities.
“We wanted to honor the connections between Navy and baseball in support of the upcoming All-Star Game,” said Mark Weber, director of the NMUSN. “We felt that there was a rich tradition where baseball has had a long-standing connection with the Navy.”
Baseball in the military dates back to the 1800s. It was among the earliest team sports played at the U.S. Naval Academy. In the fleet, many ships had their own teams and leagues. American sailors played baseball whenever they could go ashore to do so. Eventually, the excellence of a ship’s ball team reflected the pride of the command.
During World War II, noted professional players such as Bob Feller and Larry Doby gave up their lucrative baseball careers to enlist in the Navy. Feller was the first active professional athlete to enlist in the U.S. armed forces after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He also is the only chief petty officer in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
The exhibit features many artifacts, including Navy baseball trophies, uniforms, and equipment, as well as autographed pieces from major-league players who served. Through these items, “Playball” provides a narrative of key historical events underscoring how baseball has played a major role in the Navy.
Among several notable artifacts displayed is a handmade bat and ball, on loan from the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, from the 1943 “Top of the World Series.” U.S. sailors and merchant mariners, after making the deadly convoy run to the Arctic port of Murmansk, Russia, played baseball to pass the time before their return journey to the United States.
The sailors of the “Top of the World Series” brought wood from local trees to the ship’s machine shop to make baseball bats. To craft the ball, they used a rubber plug from the engine room and a sailor’s leather boot. The men used what they had to play the game they loved.
As displayed in the exhibit, the handmade bat is inscribed with their names as well as the names of the winning ships that took part in the series.
The sport was a major morale booster throughout the war years. More than a century later, the tradition of baseball continues to be a favorite pastime for service members.
“Playball—Navy and the National Pastime” will be open until April 2019.
—Mass Communications Officer Second Class Destiny Cheek, Naval History and Heritage Command