A submarine that sunk during World War II has been discovered off the Pacific Coast, Russia’s Pacific Fleet said Monday.

The Malyutka-class submarine went missing during the war in the Peter the Great Gulf, located on the southern coast of Primorsky Krai, Russia.

Why It Matters

The discovery ends a two-decade long search for the vessel, which sank with 22 crew members on board.

What To Know

Russian sailors found the Soviet M-49 submarine, which is believed to have sunk on August 16, 1941, having “disappeared without a trace,” state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported.

An M-63 submarine also sank in the same month while on a combat mission in the southwestern region of the gulf, the news agency said.

The search for both submarines began 20 years ago.

The Pacific Fleet’s rescue vessel Igor Belousov found the M-49 sub using remote-controlled underwater vehicles. Sailors determined that the size, shape, and armament of the sunken ship matched a Malyutka-class submarine.

Several other Pacific Fleet vessels were involved in search operations over the past two decades, officials said.

The M-49 was launched in early 1939, and joined the Pacific Fleet in November that year.

“In August 1941, [the submarine] went on patrol in the Vladivostok area. The submarine could have collided with a mine of the Soviet defensive barrier during an operation,” Russian outlet RBC reported.

Russian state-run news agency Tass describes Russia’s Pacific Fleet as “one of the largest operative and strategic units of the Russian Navy” which “safeguards Russia’s state interests.”

“The main tasks of the Pacific Fleet are to maintain the naval strategic nuclear forces constant ready for nuclear deterrence, protect maritime economic activity, ensure the safety of shipping, and show the Russian flag during joint exercises with foreign navies and business visits to their ports,” Tass said in an English-language report in May 2024.

What People Are Saying

Russia’s Pacific Fleet said in a statement: “After a prolonged search conducted by the Pacific Fleet, with active upport from veteran submariner organizations, a Malyutka-class submarine that sank during World War II was discovered in the Peter the Great Gulf.”

What Happens Next

Russia is building up its naval presence in the Asia-Pacific region, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Alexander Moiseyev, said in a statement to mark the Pacific Fleet’s 293rd anniversary last year.

“The main task of the Pacific Fleet’s development today is further quantitative and qualitative strengthening of its combat readiness and combat capability and naval potential in the Asia-Pacific Region,” he said, per Tass.