Soviets claim treasure

Press, 7 October 1980, Page 8

Soviets claim treasure

NZPA ' . ■ Tokyo A Japanese salvage company is to continue its diving to recover treasures believed to be on board the sunken Tsarist cruiser Admiral Nakhimov despite a Soviet claim to any precious metals found aboard the warship. Katsumi Tamanai, president of Nippon Maritime Development Company, said that his company has received instructions to continue the salvage work'from the Japan Shipbuilding Industry Association, the sponsor of the $15.5 million dive. The dive has thus far succeeded in bringing up what is believed to be a platinum ingot from the Nakhimov, which was sunk during the Russo-Japanese war of 190405 off Tsushima Island between northern Kyushu and South Korea. It is said to have been carrying gold worth $2 million at 1905 values. 1 The Soviet Union last 1 week notified the Japanese ■ Government of its claim to the ownership of any treasures discovered on board the Tsarist cruiser.

The president of the sponsoring Shipbuilding Association, Ryoichi Sasakawa, has told the diving firm in writing that he would assume full responsibility for the salvage and instructed it to continue efforts to recover the precious metals. Mr Sasakawa said that he would deliver the treasures to the Soviet Union if Moscow returns the four northern Pacific Kurile Islands off Hokkaido to Japan. These islands were seized by the Soviet Union when it de-1 dared war on Japan just days before Japan surren-l dered in 1945. '