President Putin personally dived deep into the sea to visit the submarine that sank during the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sits in a diving device to the bottom of the Baltic Sea, where the submarine Shch-308 Semga sank in the Gulf of Finland during the Great Patriotic War.
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin in a scuba diving machine to the sunken ancient ship near Sevastopol. Photo: Sputnik |
Mr. Putin sat in the deep-water vehicle "C-Explorer 3.11" and dived to the bottom of the sea, then approached the submarine and participated in installing a memorial plaque with the names of the commander and crew members on the hull.
The submarine Shch-308 "Semga" was built in 1930, and launched in April 1933; two and a half years later, it was commissioned into the Baltic Fleet with the Order of the Red Banner.
Experts have determined that the Shch-308 sank between October 24 and 26, 1942, with 40 crew members and the ship's commander on board.
The ceremony honoring the exploits of Soviet submariners comes ahead of this year's Russian Navy Day celebrations, which are being held today, July 28.