Hitler’s lost $166 million gold hoard 'lying in the Baltic Sea'
A British diver has claimed Hitler's lost £100 million ($166m AUD) gold hoard is lying in a shipwreck at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
The Nazis stole millions worth of art and gold during World War II and much of it has never been found.
Now diver Phil Sayers from Essex, UK, believes the gold may have been on board the MV Wilhelm Gustloff German warship, the Daily Star reported.
The vessel was sunk in January 1945 by a Soviet torpedo off the coast of Poland, killing 9500 sailors on board.
Mr Sayers believes the gold is there because a survivor who was on board the ship at the time told him he saw it being loaded onto the vessel.
Rudi Lange was a radio operator on the ship when it was hit by a torpedo. Mr Lange claims he saw crates believed to be carrying gold loaded onto the ship, while having a smoke.
Mr Sayers told the Daily Star: “We know from first hand accounts a whole load of lorries turned up alongside and transferred a cargo of high security on board on the ship.
“Rudi Lange went down onto the quayside to have a smoke and just happened to be there when the gold bullion transport arrived.
“He did not know what was being taken on at first, but it was not until 1972 when he met up with another survivor, who was one of the guards who had been tasked with looking after the gold and he revealed what was in those huge cases.”
The diver told reporters he explored the sunken ship in 1988 and it had been broken up. He believes that means the crates filled with gold are below.
He added that he saw bars across some of the windows, suggesting that there could have been a ‘strong room’ containing valuables on board.
He believes that these clues point to the existence of the gold.
Treasure hunters also began digging for hidden Nazi gold in rural Poland this year.
Excavators started their attempt at uncovering the alleged gold in a Nazi train, believed to be hidden between Wroclaw and Walbrzych in western Poland, but nothing was found.
