Russia Wants Sunken Treasure

From RIA Novosti:

Experts in Russia say the country could have the right to file a claim for part of treasure worth billions of dollars on board a British cargo ship sunk by a German submarine during World War II.

The British cargo ship, torpedoed in June 1942 while carrying precious metals to the United States to help pay for the Allied war effort under the Lend-Lease Act, was recently discovered by the Sub Sea Research company off Guyana.

The sunken ship, possibly called the Blue Baron, is believed to contain gold, platinum and diamonds worth some $3.7 billion. A large part of the cargo is thought to have belonged to the Soviet Union.

The Russian thinking appears to be that they can claim ownership despite the fact it was intended for a Lend-Lease payment to the U.S. They believe that the sunken loot is no longer owed for Lend-Lease since other repayment arrangements were made after the loss of the ship. Kinda makes sense.