Putin Dives Down to See Sch-308 Sub Sunk During World War II

GOGLAND, Russia (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has dived down to see the wreckage of the Sch-308 Semga submarine that sank during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1954 in the Gulf of Finland, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The president travelled to the site in a submersible craft and attended the ceremony of placing a memorial plaque with names of the commander and crew members at the place of the disaster.

Before diving, the head of the "Bow to the Ships of the Great Victory" expedition, Konstantin Bogdanov, told Putin, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Northern Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Nikolai Evmenov, who accompanied the president, about Soviet submarine sailors' struggle against fascist invaders on the Baltic and the fate of Sch-308.

Putin Dives Down to See Sch-308 Sub Sunk During World War II

© Sputnik / Sergei Guneev

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Putin spoke to reporters and the expedition members and shared his impressions after the dive that lasted for about half an hour, describing them as "striking".

The Sch-308 submarine sank between 24 and 26 October 1942 due to the explosion of German mines. There were 40 crew members aboard the submersible, including the commander of the submarine, Leo Kostylev.